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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25235305">Don't Take it Out on Me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/judeau/pseuds/judeau'>judeau</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, Slow Burn, Time Skips, follows the english names but isn't necessarily 4kids canon, joey has a baby and it is jaden yuki, puppyshipping - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:27:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,051</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25235305</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/judeau/pseuds/judeau</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Seto Kaiba has not spoken to Joey Wheeler in ten years. </p><p>I haven't tried writing fic since I was a kid...But getting back into Yu-Gi-Oh has inspired me to try and write something. It's kind of long winded but if you're into Joey being a dumb, young dad and Kaiba trying to figure out how to talk to boys then...stick around I guess?</p><p>There's a bit of bending canon- Doesn't take into account DSOD or anything past DM- Mentions of cards created during GX times but that's about it (Pre-Duel Academy).</p><p>Title based on lyrics from the song 2031 by Inner Wave.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bakura Ryou/Mutou Yuugi, Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto, Kawai Shizuka | Serenity Wheeler/Otogi Ryuuji | Duke Devlin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>66</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The small, buzzing Domino bar looked the same as it did every night. The sounds of chatter and music swelled as if to envelop and comfort its customers, but the look on Seto Kaiba’s face suggested indifference. His long, pale fingers gripped the gin and tonic he’d ordered not long ago; however, it was already drained dry. He ran his free hand through his dark brown hair before locking eyes with his messenger of bad news.</p><p>Duke pinched his brows together, his nervous grin growing as Seto looked at him. “Another round?” he suggested, pointing towards the empty glass. With no response, Duke waved the bartender down and ordered another gin and tonic for Seto and a glass of whiskey for himself. “Put it on my tab.”</p><p>Seto continued to stare at Duke. He still was as silent as when he arrived. His hand remained on his glass, his grip tight. Duke’s smile faded fast, his face turning from embarrassment to concern. “It’s Joey, man!” Duke said, his face straining. “I know it’s been a sec, but he’s got a way with words! And with those frustrating board games, always trying to get a guy to stay late on a Wednesday night.”</p><p><br/>Seto’s expression did not change, his eyes unblinking.</p><p>“It just slipped! You know you’re my best friend, it hasn’t been easy dancing around your name for this long.” Duke sighed. “Besides, its Joey. He doesn’t bite.”<br/>Seto didn’t know where to start. His thoughts were swarming around his mind like flies to a carcass. It was over. His respite from how he had parted ways from the duels of 10 years ago had suddenly shattered; and the man with the front row seats to the christening? <em>Joey fucking Wheeler</em>. Kaiba isn’t an idiot, he knew being friends with Duke—who married Joey’s sister--meant that he would have to face this eventually. Despite knowing the inevitable, ten years did not feel like enough time, no amount of years ever would. People change, Seto changed. But this was too soon.<br/>There was a brief few seconds of silence before Duke began talking again.</p><p>“He wants to see you, man. You should have seen the guy’s face when I said your name!”</p><p><br/>That got Seto’s expression to change, from shocked to frustrated. He shook his head. “You’re bold to lie to my face, Duke. After screwing this up for me,” he said, removing his hand from his empty glass and placing it around the fresh drink. “Wheeler wanted to pummel me last time we saw each other.”</p><p>Duke rolled his eyes, taking a gulp from his whiskey. “Gods, you’re dramatic. Joey was a kid the last time you saw him, it’s not like that anymore,” Duke said, running a hand through his hair. “Look at yourself. You’ve changed so much. You gotta trust me when I say Joey isn’t the same temperamental knucklehead from your dueling days.”</p><p>Seto took a drink, staring down at his free hand. The button-up he wore was plain, a light grey with thin stripes. The shirt’s cuff looked oversized compared to his slender wrist, his fingers beginning to drum the bar. Had he changed? Life was not as it was back when he was a teenager, but the guilt of his past still clung to him like a wet blanket. He wasn’t the same vindictive, power-hungry kid, but he wasn’t the chummiest guy, either. The fact that Duke enjoyed his presence always did baffle him.</p><p>“He’s offered to have me, you, and Serenity over for dinner next week. I know it seems like a lot, but I promise there’s nothing to freak out about,” Duke said, moving closer to Seto and placing a palm on his friend’s back. “You’re always freaking out about the smallest things, but this isn’t one of those things to sweat over.”</p><p>The look in Duke’s eyes felt sincere, but making the decision to see an enemy of the past just did not feel as easy as Duke was playing it off to be. There are so many people from high school Seto considered more palatable. Joey was not one of those people. Thinking about Joey’s face made Seto’s heart race, memories of his past actions towards his former classmate making his skin crawl. Embarrasing. How could Joey ever forgive him for how he acted, let alone invite him to dinner with his sister?</p><p>Duke moved back and took another sip of his drink, waiting for Seto to speak. There wasn’t much more he could say to convince him. Seto was great at getting himself tangled up in his own head. After a moment, Seto realized that Duke was just waiting there, expecting him to say something, anything.</p><p>“You’ll be there?” Seto asked, his expression heavy. Duke smiled, his face looking surprisingly soft despite his sharp getup.</p><p>“Of course. Serenity will be there too, and you know how she gets. She loves her brother, but she cares about you.”</p><p>Seto frowned, and Duke sighed. “Serenity cares. She’s just…She’s a Wheeler, man,” Duke retorted, leaning back and downing the rest of his whiskey. “You think this is hard on you? I’ve been part of the Wheeler clan for longer than Duel Monsters has been dead in the scene.”</p><p>“I don’t see what being a Wheeler has to do with her snide comments,” Seto remarked, swirling the ice in his drink. “Being around two of them is starting to sound less and less appealing.”</p><p><br/>Duke laughed. “Seto, you’re the only one who thinks Serenity is a hard-ass. Joey’s gonna be a breeze. The guy doesn’t have a bad bone in his body. He’s really grown into it all, honestly. We’re not a bunch of brats fighting over card games anymore, it’s different now.”</p><p>“I’m going to get out of here. Knowing Mokuba, he’s probably staying up late again playing another poorly constructed MMO instead of preparing for finals. Just text me the date.” Seto stared down at his worn loafers, then back up at Duke, finishing his drink. “For the dinner.”</p><p>Seto grabbed his jacket and slipped his long, gangly arms through the sleeves. Summer was approaching, but the chill of a spring night was still too bitter for his comfort. As he walked to the door, he turned to look at Duke one final time, receiving a tip of a freshly poured glass of whiskey in response.</p><p>“Get home safe,” Duke shouted over the muddled noise. “If you don’t show up next week, I’ll lose a bet!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yeah ok! so first chapter...breaking up what I've written into a couple more and then hopefully going to get on writing more...hoping this doesn't feel too slow paced.... &gt;&lt;</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The upcoming Saturday was cold, and Seto couldn’t tell if the chill under his skin was from the weather or his nerves. He checked his phone numerous times throughout the day to confirm that, yes, today was the day Joey invited him over for dinner. Duke’s brief text message felt burned into his eyes, but the idea of seeing Joey again didn’t feel real.</p><p>Although Seto didn’t work weekends, he found a way to keep himself busy until Duke rolled in to pick him up. Running errands, prepping dinner for Mokuba (the kid might be almost 20 now, but he won’t eat anything sustainable if he doesn’t), and laying out multiple outfits to wear just added to his anxiety. Something as simple as going to dinner shouldn’t be so complicated, but,Seto doesn’t really <em>go anywhere</em>. Sure, Duke invites him to spend time with him and his wife, but even then, that is a rare occasion.</p><p>Seto heads to his room to try and finally decide on what to wear. The clothing laid out on the bed all felt wrong. A solid navy button-up and dark slacks seemed sufficient. <em>Have I always looked this small?</em>  Seto asked himself, frowning at his reflection in the mirror. Something about the way the shirt sat on his shoulders made him look as if he was wearing his father’s clothes. It’s clear he’d lost weight or never noticed that he’d bought the wrong size in the first place. Was he working too hard? Not possible. After running his fingers through his bangs a few times, Seto turned away from the mirror to avoid thinking about his appearance any longer.</p><p>From the stairs, Seto looked up from his phone for a moment. Mokuba is sitting at the kitchen table clacking away at his laptop. Before Seto can manage to steal a look at what his brother is up to, Mokuba quickly changes to a tab with an empty word document on it. He shrugs it off, unable to even bring himself to contemplate what Mokuba could be up to. <em>This outing is just too burdensome.</em></p><p>Mokuba looked up at his brother and his eyes widened. “Big brother… are you going somewhere?” he asks, eyeing Kaiba’s outfit. “I thought Duke didn’t like to hang out on Saturdays anymore.”<br/>Seto walked past the kitchen table and opened the fridge. A mere distraction. He poured himself a glass of water and, after taking a small sip, pivots on his heels slowly and faces Mokuba, wrapping his hands gently around his cup. “I’m having dinner with Duke and Serenity,” he explains, not entirely lying.</p><p>Mokuba frowned. “Can I come? I want to ask Duke about the post-beta mobs in Dice Monsters Online. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, but if I have to keep grinding with these groups of low-level jackasses, I’m going to lose my freaking mind.”</p><p>Seto cringes after Mokuba swears. “Mokuba, please keep your vulgarity to your voice chats. People won’t take you seriously if you use language like that. Be more creative.” He knew his brother was probably too old to police, but he couldn’t help but uphold some kind of wise, fraternal front with him. “You can come next time. We’re just going to be talking business. Not the fun kind.”<br/>Seto’s cellphone rang before Mokuba could interject. Looking at the screen, Seto’s chest tightened and felt his stomach drop. He accepts the call.</p><p>“Hey buddy! Me and Serenity are five minutes away. We’re bringing the Mercedes, so just look out the front for her!”</p><p>Seto clears his throat and nods. “Okay, no problem. I’m ready.” He winces after his response. Duke and him carpool all the time, but he couldn’t help but feel childish waiting to be picked up to go to dinner; however, the thought of driving up to Joey’s alone terrified him, so for now he was going to have to swallow his shame. He could barely pick out an outfit, let alone which of his cars he would drive over there.</p><p>--</p><p>The sound of Kaiba’s name made Joey feel like he was a teenager again. Young and dumb. He could feel that brat’s belittling words making his head spin. Whoever Kaiba was, it was impossible to imagine that sleek, rich asshole as Duke Devlin’s friend all these years later. The fact that Duke had kept their friendship a mystery for as long as he did made Joey feel betrayed. Though after everything, and after so many years, he just couldn’t blame him.</p><p>All Joey could think was that he wanted to see Kaiba- or, well, Seto again. He wanted to see who he’d become. If all these years could change Joey, could change his friends, why couldn’t it change his enemies?</p><p>Inviting Seto seemed like the right plan of action, but hearing from Duke that he was <em>actually</em> coming, Joey began to feel uneasy. Sure, it was his idea. But Joey didn’t exactly have a track record for bright ideas.</p><p>His phone almost slipped out of his hand when Serenity’s text chimed in.</p><p>
  <em>On our way. be there in 20.</em>
</p><p>He swallowed hard. Seto Kaiba was about to be in his house in t-minus twenty minutes. How much did he know about Joey? Did Duke tell him anything? Is he coming to play one final dumb prank? To humiliate him for his own sick games?</p><p>Joey attempted to brush the worst-case scenarios from his thoughts. If Duke is friends with Seto Kaiba, he can’t be all that bad,right?</p><p>Joey texted Yugi to ground himself. As much as he wanted to flex that he was the amazing, perfect father of an adorable two-year old baby boy, the stress of the dinner ate away at him all week. So, he caved and asked Yugi to babysit. His best friend was much more skeptical of their dinner, but after some convincing he agreed to watch the kiddo. Yugi loves any excuse to hang out with baby Wheeler, but the idea of Joey meeting Seto again had them both on edge. Joey always thought of Yugi as the forgiving type, but he was also the one who was known for better, well, ideas. He always seemed ahead of the game.</p><p>
  <em>watching old duel clips. quiet so far. he there yet?</em>
</p><p>Joey rubbed his nose and returned the message.</p><p>
  <em>No but they’re close. Will update.</em>
</p><p>Right as Joey hit send, he heard his oven timer go off, the shrill noise making him jump. Walking over quickly, he grabbed an oven mitt and removed the meatloaf from inside. Joey wasn’t the best cook, but Serenity taught him a decent number of recipes. He doesn’t tune into his culinary side for occasions other than holidays, but this is a time as good as any to make the Wheeler family meatloaf. Or well, he hoped it was. It was homey, at least? Welcoming maybe?</p><p>After dilly-dallying around to kill time, Joey’s phone went off. His hands felt numb as Duke’s chipper voice filled his head.</p><p>“Wheeler! We’re 5 minutes away. I’m expecting the fancy napkins this time man! I miss the little daffodils or whatever those plants printed on ‘em were. You know the ones!”</p><p>Joey’s heart began to race, the beats thumping straight into his ears. This guy was really getting to him, huh.</p><p>--</p><p>Joey’s house wasn’t very large, slightly hidden off a side street on the outskirts of Domino City. It was a little old, but not unimpressive. Nothing paint couldn’t fix. Seto could tell by the way it was structured that it was divided. Duke drove the Mercedes up a narrow path up towards a small lot with garages, parking the car slightly to the side as to not block the entrance to anybody’s lot.<br/>The sound of the car turning off snapped Seto out of a mindless, anxious haze. He got out of the car, hyper-aware of his surroundings and himself. His hand traveled to his shirt’s cuff, his mind trying to find something to focus his nervous energy into. He was here, too late to back out now.</p><p>Duke smiled at him and slapped his hand onto Seto’s shoulder, shaking him side to side a little bit. “You’re overthinking again,” he chimed, removing his hand from Seto’s shoulder and giving his back a small reassuring rub. “Joey is probably just as nervous as you are. Just act cool.”</p><p>Serenity came around the side of the car, smoothing her hair down as she walked to catch up with them. Seto made eye contact with her and expected her to say something, but she simply looked him over and stared at him. She began to clearly backtrack in her head after so blatantly judging him by giving him a small, forced smile. “Seto, if Duke loves you, I can’t say I don’t love you too. So,” she paused. “Be nice to my brother.”</p><p>The tone of her voice was forced. Seto understood. He bullied her brother for their entire high school career. He really was a horrible guy back then. The look in her eyes made him feel like a spoiled child being scolded for acting out of line. Again. His father left them when they were so young, and yet it was that same kind of shame he felt. Like when his father would become upset with him. When he was never good enough, it felt good to remind people like Joey, and Yugi, and all of those “peasants” that they weren’t, either.</p><p>Seto nodded his head curtly. He couldn’t bring himself to smile, but he hoped he sounded as sincere as he was trying to be. “I promise.”</p><p>They reached the front of the house and Duke called Joey, letting him know they were outside. He kept up idle chit-chat. Seto began to feel sick as the sound of footsteps neared from within the home.<br/>Seto wasn’t prepared when Joey finally appeared on the other side of the door. He looked like he had barely aged: his hair was still long and the bags under his eyes didn’t take away from the fact that he was still youthful in the face. Seto realized in that moment that he had never really looked at Joey. Surely back then it would have suggested that Seto thought they were worth the energy, if he looked at any of them with any purpose. Joey’s dumb, goofy smile and stupid retorts would play in his head when he tried to go to sleep at night, but something about the Joey he saw in front of him now wasn’t giving him the usual gnawing, pesky headache.</p><p>Joey avoided complete eye contact with Seto, leaning in to give Serenity a happy embrace as she reached a hand up to tousle his hair. She was still much shorter than him, having to stand on her toes. Duke moved in afterwards to give him a pat on a back, pulling him in with his other arm into a bear hug. They parted, and Seto started to feel the prickling anxiety crawling through his entire body as Joey finally turned to him.</p><p>Joey smiled. The lines around his eyes made him look soft and warm. Welcoming. Seto felt sick and frozen.</p><p>“Come on in guys, I’m just cleaning up the kitchen a little bit,” Joey said, starting up the stairs to his place. Entering his home was a shock to Seto, the minimal furniture and boring layout surprising him. For a guy with a loud personality, Joey lived quietly. It seemed comfortable.</p><p>Joey stopped in the living room, turning around to look at Seto, catching him off guard. “Um…you’ve never been here before so let me give you a tour of the place.” Joey immediately turned his back and began to walk around, gesturing to what little there was to look at. He pointed towards the two bedrooms down the hallway before stopping at the dining room, the door closest to them closed. Seto assumed that room must be an office of some sort.</p><p>“If you need to use the bathroom, use the one in the bedroom at the end of the hall. The one near the entrance is a disaster,” Joey said, laughing but keeping his back to his guests.<br/>The kitchen smelled of meatloaf and potatoes. It was nice, and swelled throughout the small house.</p><p>Seto stood still, his eyes to the ground. <em>This is already a lot harder than I anticipated.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Joey was impressed with himself for how well he was keeping his cool with <em>Seto Kaiba</em>, big-man extraordinaire, douchebag city, right behind him. Showing Seto around his home felt dangerous. Letting a mortal enemy see the inner workings of his life unnerved him. He tried to remind himself that people change, but a little suspicion didn’t hurt anybody.</p><p>Giving a tour of his upper floor felt a little ridiculous, but he was running out of options to stall making small talk with the elephant in the room. He had yet to say anything of substance and the pressure was getting worse with every second. His buddy wasn’t coming to his aid. <em>Come on Duke, what are you doing?! Say something!</em></p><p>As if his mind had psychically willed it, Duke asked Joey to take a look at an article on his phone. Something about Dungeon Dice Online in the background of a celebrity selfie. Joey really couldn’t focus and pretended to pay attention and laugh.</p><p>The conclusion of the tour gave Joey the opportunity to busy himself in the kitchen. There wasn’t much left to do, but nobody had to know that. He took his sweet time picking out silverware from the drawer and moving things around on the counter. Glancing his eyes upward quickly, he saw Seto standing quietly in the living room with his eyes focused outside the window. His expression was strained, almost as if he was nauseous.</p><p>It hadn’t ever occurred to Joey that Seto Kaiba could show an emotion that didn’t drip with pride. Even in the direst moments of insanity he appeared to have a grip on something: manic narcissism, a goal to win. There was something about his posture now that made Joey feel a sense of guilty satisfaction. Seto looked like a kicked puppy that didn’t know where to turn. He was cornered.</p><p>“You guys can take a seat at the table, I’m almost done,” Joey said, beginning to set the dining table with the main dishes. He was in control, yet under so much pressure. Eating with the air so thick seemed impossible.</p><p>--</p><p>Something as simple as sitting at a small dinner table shouldn’t have made Seto feel so cold and on edge, but it ate at him, relentlessly. He gave Wheeler credit. If he wanted to fuck with him, this is a great way to do it. Or, maybe Wheeler didn’t care. Maybe Duke was right and he’s overthinking this whole thing.</p><p>Duke prattled on, chatting about Serenity’s herb garden and how much his colleagues at work enjoyed snagging bites of the lunches she made him. They went on and on, almost as if Seto wasn’t even there. They didn’t notice him pushing the “infamous Wheeler meatloaf” around with his fork, only opting to pop a potato or two into his mouth. He feigned deep interest in Duke and Serenity’s stories, keeping his eyes on them.</p><p>Suddenly, Duke turned to his left towards Seto, catching his eyes. Caught off guard, Seto raised his eyebrows expectantly.</p><p>“Seto, I forgot to ask you earlier, but how’s Mokuba? You told me last week he had a doctor’s appointment.”</p><p>Nodding quickly, his mouth dry, Seto placed his fork down as his eyes fell into his lap.</p><p>“He’s doing better. I’ve been trying to work more protein into his meals to help him build strength, but otherwise he just sits around playing his games all day. I swear he would waste away if I didn’t.”</p><p><br/>
Duke smiled and shook his head as he chuckled. “That guy is a supergenius, but if you’re not careful he’s gonna rot his brain! Video games just aren’t the same since you stepped down. There really is a thing as too much, you know? It’s one thing to live it, get out and exercise some while you duel. You really break a sweat playing in the big-rigs. But at least you’re out and about that way.”</p><p><br/>
Seto forced himself to smile, his body stiff. It had been a hard decision to give up Duel Monsters when he graduated, but after Mokuba fell ill and Seto spread his resources thin in pursuit of the other Yugi, it had just seemed right at the time. He still felt shame realizing that he now sat in the back seat of the millionaire empire he built, but overall something clicked within Seto when he decided to step down from the spotlight of manning Kaiba Corp. It was necessary. He could focus on himself. It was enough to watch the ebbs-and-flows in the stock market now, instead of bearing the ultimate weight of the future of his company.</p><p><br/>
Asking about Mokuba seemed to be a great segway into conversation for Joey, his eyes falling on Seto with concern as he leaned forward.</p><p>“Is Mokuba sick?”</p><p>Joey clearly then regretted asking Seto this, leaning backwards into his chair. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”</p><p>“No, it’s fine,” Seto said, his voice quiet. He lifted his head up and locked eyes with Joey before turning his gaze slowly away and running a hand through the back of his hair. “He’s okay. He’s dealing with some autoimmune issues, but otherwise its nothing to worry about right now.”</p><p>Joey smiled, his head falling to the side slightly as Kaiba spoke. “I’m glad. I can’t imagine how hard that must be.”</p><p>Seto nodded silently in thanks.</p><p>--</p><p>Duke and Joey held the fort as far as small-talk went. Joey went off about some of his regulars at the bar he worked at, showing great annoyance as he recalled this guy who begged him for tokens for a separate arcade bar. Seto would chime in in response to Duke when he could. It wasn’t often that Joey got to host a new guest, even if he wasn’t the most talkative. Eventually, one could argue that they started enjoying themselves, despite the rough, drudging start.</p><p>As everyone began to wrap up their meals, Serenity grabbed the dishes at the table and began to help Joey clean up and put away leftovers. Duke announced that he wanted to go out for a cigarette. Seto prepared to follow him out instinctively.</p><p>Joey felt something surge up in him as he watched Seto begin to gather his things. He couldn’t help but feel amused, even relaxed, watching those two as they began their journey outside. Seto smiled at Duke, who had proceeded to spill his cigarettes on the floor, whining as they rolled all over the place. Seto looked mature, the corners of his mouth tilted upwards. His face had a strangely gentle look. It wasn’t sinister, or conniving.</p><p>Setting down the tupperware in his hands, Joey walked forward towards Seto and his brother-in-law.</p><p>“Let me walk you two down,” he stuttered, bending down to help Duke sweep up the rest of his cigarettes. “What kinda host would I be if I just let you run out on me?”<br/>
Joey knew he needed to find an excuse to see Seto again. He’d seen a glimmer of humanity in him, and he just couldn’t let him leave without really knowing if he had changed for the better. Or, if he was the same, conspiring bastard who would let him drown the first chance he got. He couldn’t be too careful.</p><p>After walking behind Seto and Duke to the Mercedes, Joey pulled out his phone to check for any texts from Yugi, opening their chat.</p><p>
  <em>1 Unread Message: </em>
</p><p>
  <em>you done yet? Jaden’s sleeping.</em>
</p><p>He walked around Duke’s car, knocking his knuckles on a scratch that was just below the passenger door handle. “The hell happened Duke? I thought Strike was your baby.”</p><p>Duke side glanced Joey as he lit his cigarette, taking a drag and rolling his eyes. “Come on Wheeler, you think I’d let this thing get beat up for nothing? It was some kid, pushed his shopping cart too close. He’s lucky I didn’t sue.”</p><p>Joey scoffed, grinning wide. This was his chance. “Whatever, Duke. Next time you roll up, bring Seto’s car.”</p><p>Seto stiffened, locking eyes with Joey. “What?”</p><p>Joey continued to smile, maintaining their eye contact this time. “We should do this again.” He ran his hand through his hair, pulling slightly at the edges before smoothing it down against his shoulder. “We should do drinks or something.”</p><p>Seto nodded slowly, not looking away. Their exchange felt like a challenge, something Joey knew he couldn’t back down on. Finally, Seto looked away and pulled out his phone, swiping away at fake text notifications on the front screen.</p><p>Silence fell on them for a few moments before Duke spoke up. “We should do drinks sometime! Wednesdays they do a great special at our usual place,” he said, twirling his cigarette in-between his fingers and wrapping his arm around Seto’s shoulders.</p><p>Joey frowned. “I hate that place with every fiber of my being, dude. As a bartender, I can’t sit there and let a bunch of kids make me drinks that taste like Exodia’s left asscheek. I’ll hit you up later and maybe we can go somewhere decent.”</p><p>Duke nodded and took one last drag of his cigarette before putting it out with his boot. He began to walk to the driver’s side of the car as he saw Serenity come out of the house, her pace quickening as she caught sight of Seto and Joey isolated next to one another.</p><p>Seto gave one final look at Joey before walking to the back of the car. “Thank you for dinner,” he said with a slight bow of his head, his mouth straight. “We…should do this again sometime.”<br/>
Joey smiled and held his hand out. Seto reached his out and shook it, their handshake firm but not aggressive. “See you around, Seto. I'll have Duke send you my number.”</p><p>As the car drove away, the dread began to fill Joey’s mind. <em>Did I just agree to see Seto Kaiba again? Willingly? I swear to gods, I’m getting too old for this shit.</em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Joey’s eyelids felt heavy as he leaned back on the couch, holding his phone above his head. Serenity was chatting away on video call to him about her and Duke’s vacation plans next month, detailing every little thing that stressed her out. Joey hummed at what she was saying, pretending to listen. His son, Jaden, had recently developed this new annoying habit where he refused to go to bed on time; staying up last night to make sure he wasn’t sneaking off to play at 3 AM was starting to get to his tired, single father.</p><p>Speaking of Jaden, the boy was busy grabbing at Joey’s phone. Eventually, Joey brought his phone down and simply handed it to Jaden, despite Serenity’s protests on the other line.</p><p>“Joey? Joey! I need your opinion on this. I’m being serious! I need to find something for Duke that’s useful for our anniversary. I can’t buy him another niche kitchen appliance that he never actually uses! I know he wants that air fryer but-“</p><p>Just as Joey was beginning to nod off again, he heard his buzzer ring. Shooting up, he gently pried his phone from Jaden’s hands (to some, surprisingly, minimal whining). “Sorry sis, I got company. Yugi just got here. Just text me about this, okay? I honestly don’t even know what a bear fryer is.”</p><p>Just as Serenity was about to scold him, he ended the call and went to open his door. Yugi was already letting himself inside. Just as he was going to close the door behind him, Jaden sat up and began to stumble his way from the couch towards Yugi, squealing and waiving his hands around.</p><p>Yugi smiled, immediately going to scoop Jaden up and give him a hug. The kid was getting big and, despite puberty, Yugi was not much taller than he was all those years ago back in high school. Hoisting the toddler into his arms, he nuzzled his face against Jaden’s and gave his head a kiss.</p><p>“Hi Jaidy! Are you being good?”</p><p>Joey’s smile reached his eyes as he watched his best friend play with his son, his chest feeling warm. Yugi was Jaden’s favorite person. This was no surprise, since Yugi was always such a nurturing person. Everyday he offered to watch Jaden Joey felt eternally grateful.</p><p>Putting Jaden down with another pat on the head, Yugi walked over and plopped onto Joey’s couch, sighing. He rubbed his hand over his face before locking eyes with Joey.</p><p>“I got a call from Tristan today. He’s still working for that weird pyramid scheme selling insurance, but I guess he’s gonna try to visit sometime soon. I’m not really sure if he’s being serious though. It’s like the fifth time he’s said that. But he wanted me to tell you he said hey.”</p><p>Joey nodded, picking up Jaden and coming to join him on the couch. Jaden squirmed and began reaching for Joey’s phone again. His dad handed it over, and Jaden begun hitting apps on the phone randomly, smiling.  </p><p>Yugi gave Joey a concerned look. “Should you be letting him do that?”</p><p>Joey smiled and pointed at his phone. “Yeah, I bought one of those non-breakable cases after I shattered it at work last month. You know, one of those that they drop from buildings in the commercials.”</p><p>Yugi laughed, shaking his head. “Well, whatever.” He looked away for a moment, wringing his hands together. “How’s the Kaiba situation?”</p><p>Joey breathed in deeply, taking time to think about what to say. He had to let Yugi know that he’d basically invited Kaiba to meet up again, but he wasn’t sure how he was going to take it. Yugi of all people was the most sympathetic of Kaiba and his attitude, but as more and more time passed since Atem’s departure, Yugi  grew more cynical. More prudent, more adult. There was something about saving the world at such a young age, and the weight of protecting those close to him that made him be so overly forgiving in the past: he had to be able to forgive to push towards his goals, and it would be easiest to do that if everyone just got along. However, the Yugi sitting with him now was not the same teenager who faced literal death almost weekly, whose amicable nature was the one thing holding a group of confused teenagers together through apocalyptic circumstances. This Yugi was his best friend, who wouldn’t stand for his friends to suffer any more than they already had. He knew now that not everyone was going to be changed for the better, and that choosing one’s battles was just as important as winning them.</p><p>Pulling Jaden into his lap, Joey began to play with his hair. “I invited him to meet up again. I think I said something about drinks, but if I’m being honest Yugi, I was kinda freakin’ out. It’s a blur.”</p><p>There was a brief silence between the two, the only sounds being Jaden’s childish gibberish. Yugi then took Jaden and Joey into an embrace, giving them a hug as far as his arms could reach.</p><p>“Joey, I think you’re doing the right thing. If what you’ve told me is true, he can’t hurt you anymore. You can make your own choice.”</p><p>Bringing his free arm around Yugi, Joey hugged back and laughed. “Come on Yugi, you’re gonna make me cry!” Yugi was always so good with that sappy stuff that always made Joey feel better. With that, Yugi pulled back and went to check his phone. He frowned.</p><p>“Whats up?” Joey asked, leaning over slightly to peek at Yugi’s phone.</p><p>Yugi put his phone in his lap and placed his palms behind his head, leaning his head back. “I forgot the Tabletop Gaming Enterprises Expo was this weekend. I promised Grandpa I’d go with him…I know we had planned on going to Bakura’s opening exhibit this weekend, but are you okay if I raincheck you?”</p><p>Joey nodded, humming. “Don’t worry about it, I get it.” And he did really get it: Grandpa Motou was getting pretty old, and Yugi wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.</p><p>Jaden began to laugh to himself, catching Joey’s attention. He looked down at his phone before taking it from Jaden’s hands. “Oh my gods, Jaden….You’re just deleting pictures off my phone.” With lightning speed, Joey picked up a talking Kuriboh toy from beside his foot and placed it in Jaden’s hands, working to shift his attention before he could become upset. Jaden was pleased and giggled as Kuriboh came to life in his hands. It was one of his favorites. <em>Like nephew like uncle</em>, Joey thought.</p><p>Yugi pulled up his email. “I’ll send you those digital tickets Bakura sent me if you decide you still want to go to the opening without me.” He laughed to himself, looking at Joey with a strained face, his expression bordering on sarcasm. “Maybe you could bring Kaiba?”</p><p>Joey laughed from deep in his gut. <em>There is no way he’d agree to that. There’s no way I’d ask him. Right? </em></p><p>But then Joey thought about it, letting the idea bounce around in his head. Suddenly, wondering if Kaiba would agree to it or not was not his main concern—the fact that Joey might actually feel the urge to ask him in the first place, now that was the problem. Yugi was definitely kidding, but something as easy as walking through a museum and listening to a docent talk about dusty pots and old junk actually felt like a pretty safe way to get Kaiba to open up more about his intentions. Something in Joey still just could not fully trust him, yet. And Kaiba liked old junk at one point, right?</p><p>Yugi clenched his jaw a bit, pursing his lips and looking concerned. “You’re actually thinking about it?” Joey smiled as his head emptied completely of anything resembling thoughts.</p><p>“Honestly, yeah. I’d have to ask Serenity if she could watch Jaden, but it’s not a bad idea.”</p><p>Yugi chuckled, looking at Jaden as the boy rubbed the soft plush on his face. “You don’t think Kaiba wants to meet your kid? I mean, its not like he’s your boyfriend or anything. Kaiba is…scary. Really scary. But I don’t really see him as someone who would be ruthless to little kids. I mean, it’s mostly the young at heart and kids who the card game was made for originally, right? If you ignore the secret stuff that nobody really knew about. Mokuba was always Kaiba’s pride and joy when they were younger too, right?”</p><p>Joey felt uncomfortable at the thought of Kaiba being rude to little kids. Sure, he was a prick toward people his own age, but he wasn’t evil. Just broken. The man he saw that night at dinner was….too soft for any of that bad blood. <em>Gods, did I just call Kaiba soft? </em></p><p>With that, Joey checked the time on his TV and sighed. “I gotta go to work soon, Yugi. Will you let me know when you put Jaden to bed? And,“ Joey rubbed his hands on his face, groaning. “Keep an eye out. The little guy has been sneaking out of his room to go play with his action figures in the bathroom. I think he thinks I’m not gonna find out that I can hear that Elemental Hero is slamming his tiny little plastic feet around at the witching hour.”</p><p>Yugi laughed and bent his head down to look at Jaden. “Jaden doesn’t get into trouble when he’s with me. Right, Jaidy?”</p><p>Jaden looked at Yugi with his big brown eyes and started to laugh. “Yugi play!” he shouted, reaching one hand towards Yugi’s hair and grasping the Kuriboh in the other. Yugi stood up and grabbed the boy from Joey’s lap and walked towards the kitchen. “Good luck with work. And let me know if you make up your mind about Kaiba.”</p><p>Joey flopped onto the couch, stretching anxiously before pressing his fingers to his temples. <em>What the hell am I thinking? </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yay chapter 4! i've been chipping away at my outlines and trying to get this ball moving...heheh<br/>thank you again to my sister who helped me edit this. we were both obsessed with yugioh in 2010 so its fun talking to her about it.<br/>also yes, technically jaden is jaden from gx...i'm bending the rules a little bit here but i'm watching gx as i write this so i'll try to keep baby jaidy as close to his gx counterpart as i can ;)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seto’s day off was going well: he washed and folded all the laundry, the dishes were done, the counters were wiped down, and Mokuba was in his room working on an online assignment (for once). The dredges of life were at bay, work and all other stress completely off his mind. </p><p>But there was always something that had to go wrong. Life was easier now that Seto didn’t head Kaibacorp, but that didn’t make it a walk in the park. As his company grew and adapted, the public’s opinion on his involvement grew more and more critical. He was no longer a power hungry CEO who would stop at nothing to bend society’s rules to his will; he wasn’t invincible. There was a lot that went on in his mind that was unsafe, unnatural, things that made him want to act out and hurt people. </p><p>Making people suffer had always seemed like his specialty. It made his skin crawl, but he could never tell if it was out of shame or pride. Ego had always been his biggest downfall, the thing that so easily warped his reality. He thought he loved to be on top, to be worshipped and feared. Over time he began to understand that being number one wasn’t what fueled him: it was power. </p><p>It had taken Seto years to understand that power wasn’t everything. Power didn’t keep Mokuba safe when he got sick. Power didn’t help Seto when Kaibacorp’s investors dropped out as Duel Monsters began to lose favor to other means of gaming. Power made Seto feel weak because he didn’t have it anymore. </p><p>Maybe that’s why simple days like these made him feel put together and at peace. It was easier to control his impulses when he could funnel his energy into menial tasks that bettered him and his brother. His therapist always tried to get him to try new exercises to help with his troubling thoughts, but he wasn’t very good at following them. It just made sense to take things one step at a time. </p><p>Doing things piece by piece was easier said than done, however. If things didn’t go exactly according to plan, it would completely throw him from his routine. It would render him helpless, left to be consumed by what he was so desperately trying to forget. </p><p>So why was it when he received a text from Joey, that ever-creeping fear of losing progress and losing himself didn’t flood his mind? Why was he actually excited to see that Joey had texted him? He swiped his screen open to read the text, his heart pounding hard in his ears.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Hey, Seto. Sorry if this is weird. I got your number from Duke and I wanted to see if you were free this weekend. There’s this exhibition at the museum I’m going to and I have a spare ticket. Bakura is organizing it. It’s not game based but still Egyptian. Thought it’d be nostalgic. Lemme know if you’re interested.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> It’s okay if you don’t respond.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>The excitement didn’t last long. Seto couldn’t help but feel a tad belittled, somewhat ashamed that Joey had to text him first, let alone get his number through their mutual friend. It was kind of weird, but Seto couldn’t judge too harshly. They hadn’t exchanged contact information, but to be fair, Seto didn’t actually expect Joey to want to see him again. It wasn’t something he was accustomed to; he was used to being lied to. This was definitely new.</p><p>Seto placed his phone down in his lap face down and breathed deeply. He wasn’t sure what to say: he didn’t know how to talk to Joey. This type of interaction felt unsafe, like he was being led into a trap. But life has to move on, just like a game. He wasn't going to quit, not now. </p><p>Flipping his phone over, Seto willed himself to send a response back. He knew it was going to be brief, straight to the point. Honestly, anything would probably suffice. If what Duke had said was right about him, Joey wouldn’t care how he responded. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I'm free Sunday evening. I can pick you up.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Maybe that was a little too straightforward, but Seto knew going to a public exhibit would mean <em> someone </em>would see him. He couldn't bear to be recognized without some sort of preparation. They were going to have to plan a late time for showing to avoid as much physical confrontation from onlookers as possible. Seto wasn't the celebrity he used to be, but to be seen out with a corporate nobody could get tricky. </p><p>And then there was the Mokuba situation. It was starting to get hard to dance around questions about his spontaneously blossoming social life with his brother. Hanging out with Duke on a routine schedule is digestible, but to bring up that he was hanging out with a guy he used to treat like a dog was going to be trouble. It made as little sense to him as it would to his brother. </p><p>Mokuba was ever-interested in how Seto lived his life, something that he commended and despised. Mokuba’s illness had made Seto become more of his caretaker than anything else, something he was simply not cut out for. It was hard to feel as close as they once did, no matter how much he loved his brother. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Mokuba still has that same sarcastic personality, something that had more bite the older he got. </p><p>Seto often felt like he didn’t know his brother, what with how much time Mokuba spent playing games, talking to his friends, and trying to finish school. Mokuba was a popular person online, but he was also someone who slept ten times as much as an average young adult should and barely got out of the house. He couldn’t get out of bed most days, rounds of new medications and procedures often leaving him bedridden for long stretches of time.</p><p>It makes sense that his brother would want to know what he’s doing. Maybe he really was just interested in the idea of Seto getting back out in the world as a regular, stand-alone guy. But Seto felt it was probably something a bit more morbid than that. It wasn’t something either of them were ready to talk about.</p><p>Seto’s phone began to vibrate in his hands, startling him. Mokuba had a habit of calling him, as their house was big enough that often he couldn’t be bothered to walk from one room to the next. Plus, depending on if it was a good day, sometimes Mokuba couldn’t even make it very far to begin with.</p><p>But it was a good day, so Seto rolled his eyes as he answered the phone. </p><p>“Big brother, can you bring me my medication from the dining room? I was gonna take it earlier but I heard that I was getting queued into a game and I forgot to. Please?”</p><p>Seto sighed. “I can. Just don’t start any games before I get there, we gotta talk about dinner.”</p><p>Mokuba breathy laughter echoed on the other side of the phone, his chuckles sounding strained. “Can’t we just get cheap takeout? I want something super salty, so salty that I can feel it in my blood.” </p><p>“We can talk about it in a sec. I have to call someone for work and I’ll be up.”</p><p>With that, Seto hung up the call and stared blankly at his screen. He wanted Joey to text him back quickly to put his nerves at ease. Joey was probably a really busy person nowadays, living alone and providing for himself. Seto knew he was privileged in that sense; he still worked hard, but money had never been an issue to him. He loved luxury and gloating, the need to be richer and more important than others being one of his hardest habits to break. It had taken him a while to force himself to simply spend money to survive and exist, something he’s sure someone like Joey would laugh at him for. Having to coerce yourself to be humble must be laughable to the common person. </p><p>Seto walked quickly into the kitchen, grabbing Mokuba’s pill counter and a glass of water before walking up the stairs and meeting him in his brother’s room. Mokuba’s door was open, the boy sprawled on his back on his bed swiping away at his phone. Looking at him here reminded Seto how young his brother still was. Mokuba was still relatively youthful, his hair still long and shaggy, albeit he would often wear it up nowadays. His fashion was a lot different, more toned down. Seto knew his brother liked to dress trendy, something he couldn’t relate to. He usually opted for simple button-ups and slacks himself, although he did have a weakness for flashy jewelry.</p><p>“Here’s your meds. We can get takeout if you want. Just no cheese. And nothing too greasy. And you have to eat home-cooked food for the next couple weeks. You know you have to watch what you eat.”</p><p>Mokuba groaned. “You are literally so lame it hurts sometimes, Seto. Remember when we used to pig out all the time? We should do that more. Actually, we should <em> only </em> do that from now on.”</p><p>Seto stood there silently, waiting for Mokuba to take his medication. His brother sighed, taking the handful of pills and swallowing them down with a huge gulp of water. He flopped himself on his bed, arms out, before putting his hands over his eyes and sighing. </p><p>“Seto, can we go somewhere this weekend? None of my school friends want to hang out and I want to leave the house. I know you don’t like it, but I really want to go to the game store downtown.”</p><p>Seto froze, opening his mouth to talk before deciding against it. He had to tell Mokuba he wasn’t going to be free, and he was going to have to explain why. It was better to get it over with rather than keep dragging it out. He could take a little berating, or, well, he wanted to believe he’d be able to. </p><p>“I’m out of town until Saturday night and I’m going somewhere with a friend Sunday. We’re gonna have to do it next weekend, or I can have the driver take you.”</p><p>Mokuba shot up. “What friend?” </p><p>Seto stood motionless, eyes unblinking. “Duke.”</p><p>“Don’t lie to me. If you were going with Duke you would have said so,” Mokuba said, squinting skeptically. “What friend?”</p><p>Seto furrowed his brows, pursing his lips. “Why does it matter?”</p><p>“Why can’t you tell me?” Mokuba looked hurt, wringing his hands together frustratedly. “You’re acting really suspicious.” </p><p>It wasn’t worth lying to Mokuba. His brother was always honest with him, something he commended. It was hard growing up with your family being either nonexistent or acting what he considered criminally insane, so he understood why Mokuba was so distrusting. Seto had learned to settle down, act mature, and Mokuba had high expectations for him to maintain that. If he didn’t tell his brother what he was really up to, he’d regret it later.</p><p>“You have to promise not to make a big deal out of it,” Seto said, sitting on the edge of the bed and putting his head in his hands. “It’s not like me to do this kind of stuff. I’m still figuring out if I’m doing the right thing.” He huffed, balling up his fists and hitting his thighs with his fists carelessly. </p><p>Mokuba sat up, scooting himself closer to his brother. “You know you have to tell me these things. I don’t care who you’re hanging out with, I just want to know what you’re planning. I don’t like not knowing,” he said, running his fingers through his hair and averting his gaze. “It’s been better. You know, since you started being more honest with me.” </p><p>Seto looked towards Mokuba, his expression anguished. “It’s Joey Wheeler.”</p><p>Mokuba grinned, his eyes widening. “You’re not serious.”</p><p>Seto held his ground. “When have I not been serious?” </p><p>Mokuba continued to grin, laying back on his bed again. “It’s just unbelievable,” he said, kicking the side of Seto’s arm with his foot. “Is this Duke’s idea?’</p><p>Seto nodded. “A little bit. But it’s complicated. I’m still trying to work out the logistics.” He pulled out his phone to check for any new messages before putting it back in his pocket. “But, yeah. I don’t know. I think it might be good for me to talk to him more, especially after all this time.” </p><p>Mokuba sat up again, moving off his bed and walking over to his desk. He clicked away at a few notifications on his computer before sitting down in his chair and turning it towards Seto. “You gotta let me know what happens. That guy was a real idiot the last time I saw him,” he said, smiling again. “Don’t leave out any of the juicy details. We can go to the game store next weekend.” </p><p>Seto rolled his eyes, standing to leave Mokuba’s room. “I doubt there will be much to tell you about. But. Yeah, i’ll let you know how it goes.” </p><p>“Also, text me when you’re ordering food. I want Burger World. I want the tofu burger. No cheese.” </p><p>Seto nodded, turning around and walking down the hall. He fished his phone out of his pocket and checked it again, a new message notification from Joey making his heart jump.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 1 Unread Message </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I’m looking forward to it.   </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ahhh its taken me a while to write this one...but writing snarky young adult mokuba is fun. i like it.</p><p>this one is honestly pretty wordy, but i just got way too into writing seto's inner thoughts....i love him what can i say!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Joey had lied when he said he was looking forward to Sunday. He was terrified. </p><p>It didn’t take a lot to scare Joey. He was a pretty strong guy, someone his friends could rely on when things looked bleak. But Joey was also a very cautious person; ever since Jaden’s mother had died, he’d had to learn how to protect himself and his family. It wasn’t like he let small things get to him, but sometimes the ever-growing fear of what could go wrong in his life would shake him, leaving him alone with his thoughts to eat away at the walls he had built up.</p><p>That’s what friends were for, he supposed. Yugi was always there to get him out of his head, always with his good advice and companionship. Duke was a little weaker in that department, but he supported Joey financially here and there out of his good conscience. Of course there was Serenity, her love always just a call away, albeit it usually came with a bit of berating.</p><p>However, Seto Kaiba was coming into his life now and he had nowhere to turn. He felt betrayed by Duke, who was apparently Seto’s <em> long time </em> friend who he didn’t bring up once in the many years he’d been Joey’s brother-in-law. Serenity hated Seto’s guts and wanted nothing to do with the whole thing, and she had good reason to. It didn’t feel right to discuss it with either of them.</p><p>Yugi was a completely different story. He trusted Joey, but he could tell by the moment he told Yugi that he had <em> actually </em> arranged to meet Seto that he was disappointed. Joey couldn’t tell if it was because he still held a grudge, or if he was angry with Joey for trying to reconnect with someone they all used to loathe. Either way, Joey didn’t feel comfortable talking to Yugi about it right now.</p><p>It didn’t help that Joey had been working nights nonstop all week, exhausted from work while still having to mentally prepare himself to meet up with Seto. Dinner had been nice, he couldn’t deny that. Being with Seto one-on-one just didn’t sit right, though. It was a tall order for a young guy who had just barely started taking responsibility for himself. </p><p>Things were changing, and Joey felt like he was lagging behind. Hell, even tonight at the bar he worked at things were off. It wasn’t busy despite being a Friday, and Joey was getting irritable. Money was tight, and Jaden’s birthday was coming up. He knew Jaden would have a good birthday no matter what, but the stress of managing someone else’s budding life along his own was something that weighed on him at all times. He missed being young.</p><p>Working at the bar downtown had always been steady, something he could rely on. He liked being a bartender: it was fun, paid decently, and his coworkers were people he genuinely loved to be around. He knew he had to let a slow day be a slow day, but the whole Seto situation was really making it drag.</p><p>Just as Joey was about to go on break, a familiar face walked through the door. Joey stepped back behind the bar, speed walking to the edge to greet the person who had just walked in.</p><p>“Duke? What the hell are you doing here?”</p><p>It was hard to miss someone like Duke, even now. His fashion had toned down a lot since high school, but the red studded jacket he wore was still pretty flashy. He always accessorized like mad, but had ditched the red headband after graduating. His hair was still long, although tonight his ponytail didn’t look as neat as it normally did. </p><p>Duke grinned, taking a seat right at the edge of the bar. “What do you mean? We’re family, right? I just want a drink and to talk, you know what I like.”</p><p>Joey rolled his eyes, leaning his upper body on the counter. Duke never came to Joey’s work; he wasn’t a big drinker or bar-goer. Or, well, that’s what Joey always thought until Duke dropped the bomb that he got drinks every Wednesday with Seto. Serenity had let it slip that Duke had a bit of an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, something he had seemingly kicked in the last couple of years. It made Joey kind of uncomfortable to serve him something, but he supposed if Duke was here it really was for more than just a couple drinks. </p><p>Waving off his coworker, he poured Duke a whiskey over ice, placing it in front of the man and standing behind the bar with his hand on his hip. Joey gestured at Duke to speak, trying to hide his frustration. His relationship with Duke was chummy, but he was not in a particularly jovial mood tonight. </p><p>“I heard you’re meeting Seto this weekend.” </p><p>“I am.”</p><p>“And you’re not freaking out?”</p><p>“I’m not.” </p><p>Duke sighed, taking a sip of his drink and pointing at Joey. “Yes you are, you can’t hide from me, bro.” </p><p>Joey ran his hand through his hair, letting his arm drop dramatically. “Just say what you want to say, Duke. I don’t really want to talk about this right now, at work.”</p><p>It took Duke a couple moments to formulate what he wanted to say, clearly thinking through whatever macho-advice he was going to give Joey about the subject.</p><p><em>Here we go</em>, Joey thought, bracing himself.</p><p>“Seto is genuine, Joey. You don’t need me to say that, you’ll see for yourself,” he said, taking another sip from his whiskey and looking down at the counter. “When I told you about him the first time, we made jokes, but I want to be straight with you here: Seto’s my friend, and if you do something bad to him, I’m gonna be pissed.” </p><p>Joey glared at Duke, his fingertips gripping at the edges of the bar gingerly. “I’m not gonna do anything, Duke. I’m shocked you’d even suggest that.” </p><p>Nodding, Duke finished his drink and fished out his phone from his pocket. It irritated Joey how often Duke would just start doing something else mid-conversation, but he had to remind himself that Duke was a busy guy since Dice Monsters Online got big. He supposed sometimes work didn’t end at the office. </p><p>“I know, Joey. You’re one of my best friends. But so is Seto. I used to hate him too, trust me, but knowing him now, I know how he is, and I know this is gonna mean a lot to him. He won’t talk to me about it, so my only hope is you.” Duke pushed the glass to the side, sitting up straight on his stool and looking at Joey head on. “You’re not gonna try anything, right?”</p><p>Joey huffed, bussing Duke’s glass and slinging a rag over his shoulder. “I’m going to lose my temper if you keep talking like this. I can’t believe you’d accuse <em> me </em> of being up to something when we’re talking about fucking <em> Kaiba </em>.” Joey was slipping, not thinking. “I don’t even want to see him this weekend! I don’t even know why I invited him! This is a fucking mess.”</p><p>Duke didn’t break eye contact. “Noted, Wheeler. But you’re being irrational. If you back out now, it’s over. He’s in my life, and as long as he’s in mine, he’s gonna be in yours. Whether it’s passive or at the forefront, I’m not keeping Seto a secret anymore. He deserves respect and you know it.” Duke placed his palm on the counter, clearly annoyed. “You just saw him! <em> You </em>’re the one who keeps inviting him out, so I don’t know why you’re acting like a victim.” </p><p>It wasn’t like Duke to raise his voice, but it wasn’t helping his case. It was making it worse. Joey didn’t like being treated like a kid, and being yelled at was something he despised for more reasons than one. </p><p>Shouting wasn’t gonna help him, though. He knew this: the more he fought, screamed, and let his anger consume him, the worse things got. Joey had to deal with these impulses constantly, and maybe the fact that he was pissed with Duke was making it easier to de-escalate. It wasn’t worth arguing with him. </p><p>Joey closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before looking back at Duke. “I’m not gonna do anything. It’s just a day at the museum. We’re just hanging out.”</p><p>Duke smiled then, nodding his head approvingly. “That’s the Joey I know,” he said, standing up from his seat and grabbing his phone from the counter. “It’s gonna be good, I know it. Big things are happening.”</p><p>Joey kept his expression still, unwavering. “Sure, Duke. I’ll see you later.” </p><p>Big things were happening. Joey just wasn’t sure he was ready to be a part of them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm writing chapters way faster than I thought I would be, so I hope I can continue to stay on a semi-consistent schedule like this. I promise they are meeting up next chapter! Big things are happening....</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seto had spent the last twenty minutes standing in his garage pondering which car he wanted to take to pick up Joey. He wasn’t big on cars, usually opting to have his cars custom built to match his aesthetics. Duke had always been obsessed with Mercedes and owned a Lambo or two, but those cars weren’t really Seto’s style. It was never really about how fancy the car was, but how cool it looked. Lately, though, he’d been purchasing cars more fit for casual outings rather than fancy tournaments.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He supposed it didn’t really matter what the car looked like, but rolling up to Joey’s quaint house in a giant sports car modeled after a Blue-eyes was not going to cut it. It wasn't really even possible to do so, especially when he was trying to stay as incognito as possible today. So he settled on the black Volvo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Buying cars he didn’t need wasn't the best way to manage and maintain his ego and spending habits, but for now convincing himself that the impulse of buying </span>
  <em>
    <span>practical </span>
  </em>
  <span>cars wasn't as bad as… other things he wanted to act on. It was easier to tell himself that he had a spending addiction if it helped him feel better. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto knew he should probably have a driver take them to the museum, but that idea wasn’t sitting right with him. He didn’t like the idea of being in the backseat of a car, with nothing to do but look at Joey. It would probably be strange if he drove, but out of the two options driving seemed more plausible. If he was driving he knew he could focus on the road and be in control, something he desperately needed for this scenario. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had settled on visiting the exhibit an hour and a half before the museum closed, however the staff knew Seto was coming and would probably let him stay as long as they needed to view the exhibit; those were the perks of being famous, even menially. He had double-checked the website multiple times to assure that Ryou Bakura, the one heading the exhibit, wouldn’t be there: handling Joey, Bakura, and potentially other semi-familiar faces wasn’t something he wanted to do to himself tonight. He had to focus on Joey Wheeler.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nothing felt real. Seto didn’t think it ever would, his threads that held the simple reality he had spent so many years maintaining were being snipped one by one. Maybe he was being overdramatic, but it was hard to not feel immense pressure when there was so much riding on the line for him. He wanted to be normal, to be accepted. It just hadn’t occurred to him that he would have to step in and be proactive to get results instead of simply being a bystander. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto forced himself to stop overthinking and checked his phone to see if Joey had texted him. There were no new messages, the last being a thumbs up Joey had sent in response to Seto confirming the time he would swing by. Speaking of, that time was nearing dangerously close, the inevitable drawing near. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Joey didn’t consider himself a super “refined” guy. He didn’t go to museums, art exhibits, or anything of the like unless prompted. Inviting Seto to go to a museum was literally the last thing in the entire world he would ever do, and yet here he was, leg bouncing as he sat on his couch anxiously awaiting for the big man himself to pick him up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was super weird to have to be picked up to go out. Joey usually didn’t carpool, opting to generally drive himself around, but Seto had insisted that they needed to lay low and come together. He couldn’t stop wondering what kind of car he’d bring, and if they’d have a driver. It’s not that he didn’t think Seto couldn’t drive, but the thought of Seto doing anything mundane such as driving wasn’t something he could easily conceptualize.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There wasn’t too much time left to think about it now as the hours neared close to 7pm. Joey double checked his hair in the mirror one last time, pulling at the strands that laid over his shoulders. He didn’t spend much time on his appearance these days, so he wasn’t sure if he looked appropriate for an outing. He tried not to dress up too much, wearing a simple red t-shirt and a tan jacket with a pair of dark blue slacks. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was then that Seto texted him that he was outside. Joey’s heart began to pound, his chest heavy. Jaden wasn’t even home to comfort him, make him feel like everything was alright. He’d have to text Serenity later asking what they were up to, maybe get a picture of two of Jaden to tide him over. It was crazy how much one kid could bring him so much joy, but he supposed that’s kind of how fatherhood worked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was probably for the best Jaden wasn’t around though. He hadn’t had energy to do anything all day. Joey was a mess; every fiber of his being rejecting the idea of going out with Seto. He had been a wreck since the moment he woke up, and even as he walked down the stairs to meet with Seto he didn’t feel whole. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>This is it. I’m doing this.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Locking the door behind him, Joey felt exposed. He had left his home and was out in the open, within feet of Seto’s car. As he walked towards the vehicle, he saw that Seto was looking at his phone, probably to distract himself. Joey grabbed at the handle, trying to get into the car as quickly as possible. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’ll be like ripping off a bandaid…</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The car was locked, the sound of Joey trying to break in making Seto jump. It made Joey laugh a little, although he tried to suppress it to not seem rude. This was Seto Kaiba he was dealing with here: making fun of him for being easily startled could not possibly bode well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto unlocked the car and Joey settled in, admiring the interior. Of course Seto would be driving a new car, something with all the latest features. Joey didn’t know exactly what kind of car it was, but he didn’t really care. What he did care about was that there wasn’t a driver, and now he was stuck riding shotgun with Seto behind the wheel. At least he didn’t look underdressed, regarding Seto’s casual black turtleneck and pants, his white moto jacket clearly expensive but not too flashy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The initial silence was painful. It may have only been a couple seconds, but Seto just sat there, waiting to pull out of the driveway. It was like being dunked into a freezing pool of water, each of their bodies stuck in shock. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto spoke first, his eyes glancing at Joey briefly before focusing them back on the driveway. “Ready?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey assumed he probably meant that casually, but inwardly Joey wasn’t sure if he was ready for tonight, ready for anything to do with Seto. He had to ask himself: was he really ready to face this?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wasn’t, but it’d be a hell of a lot more awkward if he backed out now. Besides, he wasn’t one for letting Seto win.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I am.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto nodded, going to pull the car in reverse. Joey had a beat-up Stratus, and felt out of place in Seto’s nice car. There was a rearview backup camera, something that most new models had that he was missing out on. The interior lighting of the car was flashy, almost cybernetic. Joey felt like he was in a rideshare of something, not in a friend’s car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not that Seto was a friend, but it was the closest scenario he could relate this whole mess to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The beginning of the drive was relatively quiet, neither of them willing to start a conversation. Joey was convinced that Seto would just give up at some point and turn around, but he persisted. It was starting to pass the point of awkwardness and into the territory of scary, so Joey prepared himself to say something, anything. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When was the last time you went to a museum?” Seto suddenly asked, not taking his eyes off the road.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey settled in his seat, his nerves still on edge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Recently, actually. There was a junior’s tournament down at the art museum’s event space last month and Yugi wanted to see it. Duke was there too, actually. Did you go?” Joey didn’t mention that they were actually there for Jaden’s amusement, hoping Seto wouldn’t question it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto exhaled, pursing his lips. “I don’t personally keep up with the tournament scene anymore. Especially not Junior’s.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did Duke tell you about it?” Joey wasn’t trying to pry, but bringing Duke into any conversation with Seto was an instant safeguard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He didn’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Like talking to a brick wall.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and looked through his texts with Serenity, smiling at a photo she’d just sent of Jaden laying on the floor with his tiny shoes in his adorable little hands. He knew it was probably rude to be on his phone when he was sitting right next to Seto, but the guy wasn’t giving him much to work with.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What kind of phone do you have?” Seto asked, seemingly out of nowhere.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey quickly closed out of the text and looked at him, taken off guard. “Oh, it’s one of those cheap ones. Kind of like the Pixel but worse.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto laughed. “Sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, uh. No, I’m not laughing at your phone. Do you like it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey shrugged, putting his phone back in his jacket. “Um. Yeah, it’s fine. As long as I don’t get it wet it should last me.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, maybe talking to a brick wall would be easier,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Joey thought. Seto clearly wasn’t the best conversationalist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just then, the car’s GPS chimed in, distracting Joey. They had arrived.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>posting the chapter after this one in a while! I just need to edit through it, but thought i'd post this while im editing.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It had been a long time since Seto hung out with someone new. It was an understatement to say he didn’t have many friends; most people he hung out with outside of Duke were work colleagues, and it’d be a stretch to call those people friends. Seto had always been that way, content to live his life separate from those he deemed unworthy, focusing only to gain things for himself and his brother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Duke was always a curveball in his life, someone he had never expected to become close to. Work had brought them together, but their relationship had always been fairly consistent: attend meetings together, go out for drinks, get too drunk and overshare, repeat. This seemed to work to some degree, although Seto would have avoided it if he’d known that his only friend would bring him into the mess he was in today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And it really was a mess. Joey Wheeler had grown up since Seto had last seen him, and it scared him. It was easier back then to push everything to the side, his feelings and ideas of Joey being something he could chock up to being things he felt when he was a kid. But he wasn’t a kid anymore, and the teenager he used to love to berate was now an adult with a life, someone mature enough to put aside grudges. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto feared he wasn’t mature enough. He had to grow up fast when he was a teenager, but he’d come to understand that he was never really an adult until now. He had always been selfish and self-absorbed, things that didn’t get a pass as easily as it did when he was younger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Walking up to the museum entrance with Joey was so new and different that Seto felt as if he was going to drop dead. He loved risks and pushing the boundaries of what he could do, but only if it benefitted him. It was hard to think that re-connecting with Joey would be good for him, but he supposed if he never took the risk, he may never know what he was missing out on. It couldn’t be too bad, anyhow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have our tickets on my phone,” Joey said, scrolling through his emails as they walked up to the front desk. “Is there, uh,” Joey paused, looking to Seto, “anything you need to do? Cause you’re famous or whatever.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto shook his head, pulling his jacket off and putting it over his arm. “We’re the only ones here. You don’t need tickets.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Well, they were free anyway,” Joey said, smiling. “I missed the opening night but I’ve been meaning to see this exhibit for a week. I’m usually not even free on Sundays.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto stared at him, unblinking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey nodded, putting his hands in his pockets and walking towards the exhibit. The room it was held in had been structured to wind, fake walls being put up to guide their journey. The passage on the opening wall read that the items were mainly jewelry, the pieces being displayed from oldest to newest. It also mentioned that it would showcase pieces by modern Egyptian artists, their works borrowing from motifs of the past.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was an interesting enough display, Seto carefully reading as many of the exhibit labels as possible. He wasn’t sure how believable he was appearing, but he hoped it was convincing enough as to why he wasn’t engaging in much conversation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey stopped in front of a display of wooden beading, reading the label thoroughly before turning to Seto. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s crazy to think Yugi had something old like this. Some of this stuff looks like it hasn’t been protected at all.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto walked over to stand next to Joey, leaning over to observe the artifacts. He realized their closeness then, but couldn’t pull himself away. If Joey was okay with him standing this close, then he was going to roll with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ancient artifacts are rarely well maintained. I know from investors that there’s a lot of nuance to funding and how the area has been preserved over the course of many years. It’s a miracle that some of this stuff makes it out at all.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey looked into Kaiba’s eyes, taking a hand out of his jacket pocket and pulling it over his other shoulder to crack his back. “Do you own any art?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto nodded, walking towards the next glass enclosure. “Kind of. I own a few paintings, but nothing like this. I stick to contemporary art. To be honest, I’m not too keen on getting anything too old from anywhere. After everything from high school, it doesn’t feel right to capitalize.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey followed Seto, seemingly more interested in talking to him than looking at the exhibit. “Do you collect art?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto scoffed. “I don’t collect anything. I cultivate anything that will look good for my house or office, nothing more. If it were up to me, there would be nothing on the walls.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey laughed. “You need to get stuff that makes you happy. I don’t have time to decorate my house anymore, but I try to get knick-knacks and stuff from travel, especially for-” Joey cut himself off, inhaling. “My friends and family. Stuff that makes them remember me or fun times.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Oh, like. Little ceramic statues or something. I bought Yugi a couple booster packs from Peru when I visited a couple years ago. And I always get something for Serenity, usually jewelry or postcards. Do you travel?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto’s hand fell on the jacket around his arm, gripping it subconsciously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I used to. I travel for public appearances in other Kaibacorp locations, but I don’t like to leave home,” he said, smiling. “I know Mokuba hates it, but I don’t like to go out unless I have to.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey walked through the exhibit, peering down the hallway forward. “You should get out more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto frowned. “Why’s that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you having fun?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto watched Joey, taking him in. Joey was tall, well built. Everything about him wasn’t what Seto was used to, someone with assurance about himself. Duke was like that, but more in the way of exerting as much confidence as physically possible to mask what really made himself. Joey was more humble in that sense from what he could gather.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m having a good time. I guess it pays to get out.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey chuckled, closing his eyes and shaking his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this how you always were? By yourself?” Joey asked, lifting his head and looking Seto in the eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto walked forward, furthering their course through the exhibit. He pretended to read the next passage on the wall, something about the time period and groups involved. He didn’t absorb any of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really want to get into that,” Seto said, looking back at Joey as the other caught up with him. “It’s better if we just pretend none of that stuff happened right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey came to Seto’s side and put his hand on Seto’s shoulder, pulling him back slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not gonna forget what happened, Seto. I’m willing to come here and get to know you, interpet you, but I can’t do that. You have to understand that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto turned to look at Joey, not daring to move his hand. “Are you the same person you were before?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey sighed, removing his hand. “I’m the same. Just different.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was hard to follow. Joey had it easy, having no shame to refute as an adult. Seto was the same, too; but it wasn’t something to be prideful about. He was still malicious in his mind, even if now he knew how to handle it. He wanted to walk out then and now, never having to explain himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he didn’t. He stayed, and he wanted to stay. He wanted to prove himself, make Joey see something good come out of him to satisfy himself. He wanted to put his mind at ease if even for a couple seconds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think I owe you an explanation for anything,” Seto began, putting his hands together. “I’m enjoying our time together. I can’t say I hate being around you. You are the same person, but I’m having a good time. So let that say whatever you want it to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey grinned, putting a hand on his hip. “I guess this is an improvement. I mean, ten years ago we would have been fighting or spitting at each other, something like that.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check something before putting it back, looking towards the end of the exhibit. “Looks like we’re done here. Too bad the gift shop’s closed, we could have grabbed some new decorations for your house.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have an invitation for you,” Seto announced, his voice level.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey whipped his head around, shocked. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He looks good like that. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a corporate party at Kaibaland’s HQ in two weeks. It’s mostly for duelists in the leagues right now, young people mostly. Duke will be there. Serenity doesn’t like to go, so maybe you could be his plus two.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like you’ve really thought this one out,” Joey said, leaning against the exit. “I didn’t even know you went to events like that. I knew Duke had business with Kaibacorp, but after years of him not mentioning you I really had fooled myself into thinking you two had no association.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto began to put his jacket on, pulling his arms through his sleeves before giving the edges a tug to settle it. “I hate going to those parties. They make me attend at least a handful every year, but it’s painful to sit through. Younger people these days don’t understand how much weighs on their attitudes. It’s taxing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey nodded, pushing against the exit to lead out of the exhibit with Seto following close behind. The museum was dark, only a few lights still lit. The tall, white walls of the space were ominous, the space large and seemingly abandoned for the night. The large windows that wrapped with the curved space faced out to water, the dark waves inaudible from the soundproof structure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto walked out, admiring the emptiness of the museum. A single front desk attendant sat behind the counter, most likely waiting for them to leave before she could end her shift. Security guards walked around talking on their walkies, but otherwise everyone paid them no mind. It was isolating, but comforting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walked to Seto’s car fairly wordlessly, Joey clearly distracted by his phone as they walked down the wide, shallow steps of the museum to the parking lot. Seto refrained himself from snooping, keeping his eyes forward as they got into the car. He had never been someone to use social media or play on his phone much, Joey seeming more fit for stuff like that. Although he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what Joey was looking at on his phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Driving back to Joey’s, Seto tried to make conversation. He had invited Joey to his event without a solid yes, so he was planning for worst case scenarios. He shouldn’t be pushing this so much, but the whole thing was weirdly exciting. There was something dangerous about inviting Joey into his life that had him invested, the idea of Joey being someone he had mended harsh ties with seeming closer than ever. Besides, even if Joey never spoke to him again after this, Duke couldn’t say that he didn’t try. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said you went to a tournament recently, do you still duel?” Seto asked, genuinely curious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not professionally, no. I was in preliminaries in the leagues for about a year but then…” Joey paused for a couple seconds. “I got married.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto didn’t know what to say to that. He had been to Joey’s house and never met a spouse. It hadn’t occurred to him that Joey would ever be in a relationship, let alone get married. Seto hadn’t dated successfully really ever, the territory of being in love completely foreign and unattainable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you still married?” Seto asked, assuming it wouldn’t be that surprising if someone Joey’s age had gotten divorced or separated. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I'm not. My wife passed away a little over two years ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I have literally no idea what I’m supposed to say to that</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Seto thought, trying to center himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for your loss.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t be sorry,” Joey said, wringing his hands in his lap. “I’m okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto nodded, trying to think of how to follow. He was not expecting that answer, and he wasn’t someone who dealt with death relatively well. Death was a concept he didn’t think about, something he deemed unreal. Facing death with his brother had made him almost numb to it all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could come up with a response, they were pulling up to Joey’s house. Seto was relieved that he had an easy out of the conversation, however he wasn’t sure it was the best way to end it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey unbuckled his seatbelt and looked out the window before looking back towards Seto. It was eerily silent, the radio playing barely audibly on some random station. It became more apparent how quiet it was with Joey looking at Seto expectantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for coming with me,” Joey said, smiling. “Should you text me about your party or Duke?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“it’s not really my party,” Seto responded, frowning. “It’s a corporate party. More formal than casual.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about you text me the details later? I’ll let you know if Duke says he’ll take me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seto nodded his head, making eye contact with Joey and forcing a smile. “That works with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll talk to you later then, Seto.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey stepped out of Seto’s car, closing the door carefully before speed walking up his driveway. Seto watched him walk away, waiting to pull out until after Joey entered the home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was going to be okay. Seto was trying to mend things. He just hoped that he was doing it right. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yayy finally got this chapter done! if you're curious, the museum they're in is kind of modeled off of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Not super relevant but if you're looking for visuals that's what I kinda referenced off of.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Shopping with Serenity was always exhausting. She liked to take her time, visiting every store for hours simply just to browse. She had lured Joey out of the house with the promise of buying Jaden new shoes, something he felt inclined to partake in to assure that she wouldn’t buy the wrong size. Luckily Jaden loved being out, perfectly content to chill in his stroller and sit quietly or sleep. For a kid who liked to talk to Joey and his friends, he was still getting used to being friendly with strangers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They had decided to stop at the shoe store first, so all that was left was for Serenity to shop for herself. Joey didn’t really have it in him to leave her, so he drudged on. The mall was two and a half floors and they had just barely scaled floor one, the end nowhere in sight. He could only hope they’d get home before dark.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Joey, are you sure you want to stay? You can go home.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey shook his head. “No, I’m fine. It’s not like I get out that much on my days off anyway, it’s nice doing something for a change,” he said, only partly lying. He did like to get out in his free time, but Serenity didn’t need to know that he hated going to the mall on said free time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity smiled, her eyes soft. Serenity was the kindest woman in the world, someone who loved her family more than herself. She had been with Joey through so much, even when their parents divorced they had always stayed in close contact. She knew about how their father was, but Joey never disclosed too much to protect her as much as he could. It was clear from the way she carried herself that she was safe, and that’s all that mattered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The whole Seto situation was something Joey feared might break this. Serenity had always had closer contact with Seto than Joey had, but he knew she kept her distance from what he had heard from Duke. He had come to the tentative conclusion that Seto wasn’t a threat, but it was hard to really know for sure. He wondered if having Seto in his life was going to upset his sister or make her mad at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity ducked into another store, a trendier clothing chain. Joey hated these stores the most; teenagers freaked him out. They were so judgemental, and there was always the off-chance that they might know him from digging through old duel forums. Adults minded their business, but teenagers were nosy. He would know, he was one once. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ohhh, this store is so young,” Serenity said, browsing through the jewelry. “I want to see if they have any sunglasses, but look at these bracelets! Aren’t they cute, Joey?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey looked at the bracelets in Serenity’s hand, his gaze going straight through them. He really didn’t care. All this stuff looked cheap.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re cute, sis.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You aren’t paying attention! They’re so in style. You should dress more on trend, Joey. You’re always so casual.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jaden’s the only one who really needs dressing up,” he said, bending down to look at his son in his stroller in his blue and cream striped one piece with a dolphin on it. Jaden was awake this time around, immediately smiling and reaching for Joey when he got to his level. “He deserves to dress nice. If I look too fancy, no one’s gonna pay attention to him.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity laughed. “Joey, don’t you want to be a cool dad? Girls love guys who are stylish. If they see you and Jaden dressed to the nines, you’d be so popular.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not looking for a girl's attention, you know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity sighed, bending down to Joey’s level to hold Jaden’s hands. “I know you’re not, I’m just kidding around.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We literally look like we’re married right now,” Joey said, crinkling his nose.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ew, gross.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know. Totally gross.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity stood up and took a scan of the store, sighing. “I don’t think they have sunglasses here. Or well, I don’t really feel like looking. Let’s go somewhere different.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Leaving the store, Joey immediately sat on a bench and stretched his arms up. He was reaching his limit, his feet aching. Standing all day at work really put a toll on his body, and walking around a giant mall was definitely not helping. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity sat next to him, pulling out her phone and swiping through her messages. Joey knew she was pretty social with the ladies from Duke’s work, always giving Joey updates on their various gossip and drama. Serenity was like a silent killer: in the background soaking up their woes, appearing innocent behind closed doors. It was insane the things people would tell her, but she’d never let them know how much she knew. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you ever text Duke back?” She asked, pointing at their messages. “He wants to know if you’re going to that Kaibacorp thing.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey leaned over to look at her texts, not really reading. “No, I didn’t. I’m kinda still on the fence about going. I mean, did he tell you Seto invited me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity nodded. “Yeah. That’s so out of character for him. I mean, does he really think you’d want to go to his party? You’re not his friend.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey felt offended for Seto, although Serenity wasn’t wrong. They weren’t friends, but his invitation seemed genuine. Maybe a little off-putting, but definitely not malicious. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know. But I think I am gonna go. I’m just nervous about being there. I was always only in top ten when I dueled professionally, so I’m kinda freaked about being around a bunch of big leagues. And young people in general.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity hummed, putting her finger on her chin. “You were good, though. I bet people would love to see an old player. Besides, if it’s young people they might not even recognize you. Duke tells me he doesn’t even keep up with old players when the meta or whatever changes. Dueling isn’t as big as it used to be, but duelists usually stick to whatever’s hot from what I’ve heard.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey smiled, reaching around Jaden’s stroller to pick him up and put him in his lap. The little guy was looking pretty tired, probably ready to go home himself. “I didn’t know you knew so much about dueling, sis.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity rolled her eyes. “I’m Serenity Devlin-Wheeler, I have to know what’s going on. A lot of the girls from Duke’s work were pro duelists, so I’m kind of the outcast. I like to stay on top of it.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No one gets the one-up on you, huh?” Joey said, chuckling. He liked hanging out with his sister one on one. It wasn’t often they got to be together, and every day felt like it was making up for those years of lost time. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s just how we are. Wheelers don’t take shit from anyone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey laughed, his eyes wide. “Hey, don’t swear in front of Jaden! He’s gonna repeat it!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s not gonna remember,” Serenity joked, leaning over and smiling at Jaden. “Jaden’s a good boy. He’s literally the most well-behaved kid I’ve ever met. Whenever Duke lets us have kids, you know they aren’t gonna be this sweet.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was heartwarming to hear Serenity say Jaden was good. Joey had felt like he was guessing every day as a dad, doing everything in his power to be the best. Maybe Jaden was blessed with good genes, but it scared Joey that he would slip up one day and everything could go wrong. It wasn’t easy learning this stuff when the only thing he could reference was his own childhood, something he didn’t necessarily like to think about. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When do you think I should tell Seto about Jaden?” Joey asked, hoping Serenity wouldn’t chastise him for asking. It was an honest question, something he genuinely wanted advice on. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re gonna tell him?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I want to. I think I should.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity frowned. “I don’t think you need to tell him. You don’t owe him anything.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey sighed, looking at Jaden. Jaden was his world; he was what kept Joey going when things didn’t seem possible. Losing his wife had crushed him, made him numb to so much. It wouldn’t have been possible for him to pull himself together without his son, and he wanted to share that. If Seto didn’t take well to it, Joey would know they couldn’t move forward. There would be no chance of reconcile if that happened. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know that. I just feel like telling him is gonna show me if all this is really worth it. Seto and I really messed up when we were younger, but I want to move on. Jaden’s part of this too if we do. It wouldn’t be right to just pretend he doesn’t exist.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity stared at him, saying nothing. Joey couldn’t tell if she was trying to think of what to say or if she was upset with the idea of Seto being in Jaden’s life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t give me that look,” Joey said, his eyebrows furrowing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not giving you a look,” Serenity replied, rolling her shoulders and leaning against the railing behind the bench. “I just don’t think you should tell him yet. I know you’re gonna do it anyway, but just wait.” She stared up at the ceiling before closing her eyes. “I’m tired. We can head back.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey stood up from the bench, putting Jaden in his stroller and giving him a kiss on the head. Serenity was probably right, telling Seto immediately wasn’t of the utmost importance right now, but he was going to do it nonetheless. He felt bad for lying, although he supposed he wasn’t really lying, just withholding information. It was easy for Serenity to think he didn’t owe Seto anything, but for a clean start he knew he would have to spill eventually. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can head back. I’ll text Duke when I get home. I don’t even know what the dress code is for these kinds of things, but I’m sure I can find something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity nodded, standing up and pulling her purse over her shoulder. “Whatever you do, you’ll look great,” she said smiling, standing in front of Joey and playing with his bangs. “You’re great, Joey. Don’t let Seto scare you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey rolled his eyes, waving his hand in front of his face to make her stop. “You’re just saying that because I’m your brother. I know it’ll be okay, I just...have to mentally prepare. I don’t do corporate parties.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Serenity crossed her arms and laughed. “They’re nothing. As long as you stand around and act like you belong, everyone goes along with it. I hate those parties, but they’re more boring than they are scary.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey smiled, genuinely happy that Serenity had so much faith in him. He knew he was mostly just psyching himself out, but the idea of being on Seto’s turf was difficult to swallow. All their previous meetings had been controlled with a set path, but this was unfamiliar. It was going to be hard, but maybe giving Seto the higher ground would be what they needed to become more comfortable. Joey knew he was going to be playing at a disadvantage, but that didn’t mean he was going to lose. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you guys so much for the comments and kudos! i honestly started writing the first chapters of this fic years ago with no intention of ever posting it but i'm so happy that people are enjoying it so far! i write most of my chapters at work and edit them myself after my shifts, so i hope the quality isn't too bad...hopefully i'll be able to stay on the schedule i've kind of made for myself so far haha</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The party had started only an hour ago and Seto was already exhausted. He had come early to help set up, mostly directing people on where to place things and managing the space. It wasn’t unusual for the incognito CEO to come to these parties only to leave after everything was in order, however he was required to be here until they made the official announcements about partway through. He was still on the fence on if he wanted to stay afterwards, but knowing Duke he would probably peer pressure him into a round or two at the open bar. </p><p>And then there was the Joey situation. Joey texted him yesterday to let him know that he was coming, perhaps overcompensating in his texts. It was hard for Seto to tell if he was actually excited or not, re-reading through the messages to try and determine if he was genuinely looking forward to it. </p><p>
  <em> “I’m coming with Duke tomorrow night. He told me we’d probably be an hour or two late because he had some stuff to do at work beforehand. You probably knew that though.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Hope to see you soon. It’ll be fun.”  </em>
</p><p>The venue the party was being held in was the large banquet hall on the top floor of Kaibacorp HQ, large enough to accommodate around 200 people. There was a small dueling arena connected to the right-hand side, although they weren’t going to be having any duels tonight. It was filling up slowly, mostly higher-ups occupying the room for the time being. A few duelists had begun to pile in, but mostly kept to themselves and didn’t bother him. It was unlikely most people would, as Seto’s standing had fallen and he wasn’t the hot-shot that people gravitated towards like they did in the past. He preferred it that way.</p><p>Seto felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, pulling it out to see that Duke was calling him. He walked outside of the banquet hall and leaned against a wall, bringing the phone up to his ear and sighing.</p><p>“Hey, Duke.”</p><p>“Hey man! I wanted to call to tell you I’m on my way to pick up Joey and then we’ll be heading over. Do you remember if there’s gonna be an open bar or not?”</p><p>Seto pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “There’s always an open bar. You know that.” </p><p>Duke laughed. “Okay, just making sure! We gotta get a drink when me and Joey get there. Gods know I’ll need one.”</p><p>“See you soon, Duke,” Seto said, hanging up and putting his phone in his back pocket. He readjusted his belt, wiping at the front of his grey button-up for any stray hairs or fuzzes. The dress code tonight was business casual, his bland outfit helping him stand out as little as possible. Duelists usually dressed pretty flashy and never strayed too far off their aesthetics for these kinds of things, so he wasn’t concerned about it. </p><p>It was only a matter of time until this thing would be all over. </p><p>-</p><p>Kaibacorp HQ was just as large and egregious as Joey remembered. He hadn’t been inside the building in years, but the layout was the exact same as his dueling days. He supposed they had built on since his last visit, but it all was all hauntingly familiar. The white walls, large windows, and massive amount of tech that adorned every inch of the space was suffocating. It was a stark contrast being brought up to the banquet hall, the dim lights and carpeted floors taking him off guard. It looked almost like a hotel, friendly and digestible. </p><p>By the time Joey and Duke had arrived, it was clear that the place was filling up fast. He wasn’t sure how many people were invited to attend, but the sounds of idle chatter and music had really animated the hall. It was clear to pick out the duelists in the crowd, their flashy outfits making them hard to miss. Joey was glad he hadn’t dressed too casually, his collared shirt and tan long sleeve sweater helping him to blend in more with Kaibacorp staff and other people there for business. Duke on the other hand had dressed fairly nice, wearing a matching red suit jacket and pants with a black button-up. </p><p>"What do ya think?" Duke chimed, gazing through the room and waving to some guys as they walked towards the bar. "Not too bad, right?" </p><p>Joey put his hands in his pockets and nodded. "Where's Seto?" </p><p>Duke shrugged, patting his hand on Joey's back. "Hell if I know. probably talking biz somewhere and wanting to rip his hair out. I'll give him a text to meet us at the bar once we get some drinks." </p><p>Joey ordered a vodka orange juice and turned towards Duke, taking a sip. "Do you like these parties? Talking to the duelists and all?" </p><p>Duke smiled, leaning his arm on the bar and swirling a whiskey in his hand. "They're fine. I get to drink for free and look cool. I also need to network, and this is an easy way to do it. Old fashioned duelists don't really take to Dice Monsters Online because they prefer to play physical strategy games, but every once and a while I can get a few to do promotional streams." He downed his whiskey, pushing the glass aside." Speaking of networking, I better start. They'll probably do announcements soon and I wanna get some good pitches in before everyone starts <em> drinking </em>-drinking."</p><p>Joey watched Duke leave, pulling his phone out to occupy himself while he waited. </p><p>
  <em> 1 Unread Message  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> when u get a sec can u tell me where the laundry soap is?  </em>
</p><p>Yugi. </p><p><em> Under the kitchen sink </em>, Joey texted back. </p><p>Yugi was watching Jaden tonight, although Joey didn't elaborate on where he was going. He had let Yugi know he was out with Duke but didn't give much information. Yugi probably assumed they were just hanging out, doing family things, but it still felt bad not telling him. He sure was keeping secrets a lot these days. It wasn't like him, but none of this was. </p><p>After browsing through every social media he had and getting another drink, announcements had started. Looking towards the stage where the band was playing, Seto stood in the middle, surrounded by a couple of guys in nice suits. </p><p>Joey leaned against the bar, sipping his drink and looking around. Everyone was beginning to gather around the stage, talking quietly among each other. Seto looked serious, standing with his hands together waiting for the people around him to finish their conversations. Joey could only wonder what people were saying about him; when he looked at Seto he couldn’t help but feel kind of bad. Seto’s presence was simply not the same and it showed.</p><p>“May I have everyone’s attention?” Seto said into the mic, his tone firm. The room quieted, the band ending their song and putting down their instruments. “Thank you all for coming to celebrate the beginning of the semi-finals with us tonight. I’d like to invite the final three up to the stage to say a few words,” he said, bowing slightly. “Please continue to support them as we near the end.”</p><p>As the semi-finalists came to the stage and the announcements came to an end, Joey was feeling lightheaded. He had finished his drink a lot quicker than he’d expected and it was showing. Not eating before the event was affecting him, so much that he hadn’t noticed someone had taken the seat next to him and was looking in his direction.</p><p>“Are you Joey Wheeler?” they asked, leaning their head into their hand. The individual was androdynous, with long blonde hair in a slick ponytail. The suit they wore was blue with a pink tie and pocket square, their face caked with foundation and a bright purple shade of lipstick adorning their smile. Joey had no idea who they were.</p><p>“I am,” Joey responded hesitantly, placing his empty glass on the bar. “I’m sorry, have we met before?”</p><p>They laughed, waving their hand and shaking their head. “I don’t think so. I used to duel around the same time as you, but never got very far. I’m Vellian Crowler,” they said, holding out their hand and shaking Joey’s. “I do mostly agent work now. I manage a couple of the duelists here, but I didn’t expect to see any old players. Are you coming out of retirement?” Vellian asked, eyes wide. </p><p>“Oh, no. I’m an old friend of S-” Joey coughed. “Duke Devlin.” </p><p>Vellian frowned, slicking down their hair with their hand. “Oh, I know Mr.Devlin. He does business with a couple of my kids--I mean my duelists. So do you play Dungeon Dice?” </p><p>Joey laughed, his expression pained. “No, I don’t play. I’m just here for fun, I guess. I’m not really interested in re-entering the scene. Duke’s my brother-in-law and I had nothing else tonight, so I tagged along.” </p><p>Vellian nodded, pursing their lips. “Interesting.” They scanned the area, looking at a couple of rowdy party-goers and rolling their eyes. “Well, if you’re ever looking to come back, here’s my card.” They handed Joey a fairly plain business card, white with pink lettering. “I’d love to see someone of your play-style back in the ranks. You and Yugi Muto were valuable to the life of Duel Monsters. It really isn’t the same anymore.” </p><p><em> Don’t count on it, </em> Joey thought, placing the card in his wallet. “Thanks. That means a lot.” </p><p>Vellian nodded, re-adjusting their tie and turning to leave. Checking their makeup in a compact, they practically tripped over the person standing almost directly behind them.</p><p>“Mr.Kaiba!” They exclaimed, swiftly placing their things back in their purse. They glanced towards Joey with an astonished look on their face before bowing slightly to Seto. “Pardon me.” </p><p>“Can I sit here?” Seto asked Joey, completely ignoring Vellian. </p><p>Joey smiled, shaking his head. “Go ahead.” </p><p>Vellian quickly sidestepped around Seto, glancing back at them as they picked up their pace and walked away. Joey couldn’t help but laugh, putting his elbows against the bar. </p><p>“Did Crowler try to recruit you?” Seto asked, sitting down and smiling at Joey. He looked so tame, crossing his feet on the barstool and watching Vellian leave. “They aren’t very popular. I don’t think any of their clients have even passed preliminaries.” </p><p>Joey watched as Seto ordered a drink, a plain gin and tonic. It probably wasn’t wise, but Joey ordered one as well. He wasn’t a big gin drinker, but at this point he wasn’t necessarily ordering drinks for the taste. </p><p>“Yeah, they did. I didn’t think I’d get recognized tonight,” Joey said, sighing. “I guess it didn’t occur to me that I’d stand out as anyone important. I was always an underdog, but I never had too crazy a fanbase.” </p><p>“You’d be a great catch for them,” Seto said, downing his drink steadily. “They like underdogs, but you’d probably be the only one to make it onto a bracket.” He ordered a second gin and tonic, glancing down at his hands and observing his nails. </p><p>Joey could not believe what he was hearing. Seto had always despised him when they were younger, always going out of his way to put him down in any way he could. To hear him praise Joey, even in hypotheticals, was unreal.  </p><p>“A catch?” Joey tested, taking a drink of his gin and tonic. “Since when?” </p><p>Seto shifted in his seat, his body language hard to read. He kept his eyes forward, not looking at Joey as he sipped his second drink. “I’m not going to go over this right now.”</p><p>Joey frowned, huffing. He probably shouldn’t push this, but the alcohol in his system had pulled back his barriers. “Don’t act like a jackass now, Seto. Let’s have fun tonight.” </p><p>Seto looked towards Joey, his eyes dark. He didn’t necessarily look angry, but it was clear he was annoyed. </p><p>“You’ve always been something else, Wheeler. I’m not going to deny that.” </p><p>Joey lifted his chin, preparing to press farther. “Did you ever think I was any good?” </p><p>Seto sneered. “You weren’t <em> bad.</em> But I think you can agree with me when I say you didn’t have the drive.”</p><p>That statement wasn’t true. Seto knew Joey had the drive, it was what made him do as well as he did. Maybe it was hard as the pioneer of dueling to understand that their ambitions had been very different, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t dedicated. He was still committed to everything he did now, even if dueling wasn’t a part of his life anymore.</p><p>“You know that’s not true. I was passionate about dueling. Just because I wasn’t as rich and gifted as you, it didn’t mean I didn’t give it my all.” </p><p>“What do you know about me?” Seto said, now clearly frustrated. He clapped his hands together, taking a deep breath. “I can admit I was wrong. But don’t make assumptions about me.” </p><p>“Funny, Seto. Just a second ago you were doing just that.” Joey slammed his fist on the bar. “You say I’m good, then go right around and completely contradict it. I thought we had moved past this shit. Can you really not grow up? Putting me down, even now?”</p><p>“This is ridiculous. I don’t want to argue with you,” Seto said, finishing his drink. “I don’t want to hurt you.” </p><p>Joey scoffed, throwing his hand up and then pointing it at Seto. “Look, I’m going to drop this. I want to believe that you’re different now, I really do. But you’re making it difficult.” </p><p>Seto stared at Joey, closing his eyes and placing a hand over them. “Joey.” He moved his hand, making eye contact. “Look at me. Look at where we are. Isn’t it obvious?” He gestured to the hall, glancing around. “I’m not the same person. Just look at how these people look at me. I’m a humiliation. Please understand me when I say this: I’m different. I’m not trying to be what these people want, I want to be what you’re trying to see out of me.”</p><p>It was clear in Seto’s eyes that he was serious; but Seto had to understand that Joey wasn’t like the people who watched Seto’s every move. He hadn’t thought about Seto in years, voluntarily choosing to push him out his mind. He didn’t care what people saw, he didn’t care that Seto was Duke’s friend, he needed Seto to show <em> him </em> that he had changed. </p><p>“Why do you want to impress me so bad?” Joey asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. “Why do you care so much?” </p><p>“It’s complicated,” Seto replied, finishing his drink. “The moment Duke told me that you knew we were friends, I knew something had to change. I have wicked memories of how I treated you and your friends, something I’ve had to live with for a while. I know I owe you more than I can ever truly atone for, but I want to try.” Seto fidgeted with his watch, waving the bartender over quickly for a water before continuing. “I can say sorry all you want, but we both know you deserve more than that. We’re both smart enough to know that money or physical things can’t mend this, so all I can do now is just hope you can be patient with me.” </p><p>Joey knew Seto was smart, but the way he spoke his feelings so truthfully threw him off guard. It was impressive how well he was carrying himself and his words, but it was also scary. Joey hated to admit it, but he was going to let Seto have this. He had moved past wondering if this was the right path because it was hard to tell anymore where they were trying to go with this pseudo-friendship unless he kept the dialogue open.</p><p>Maybe he really was beginning to truly forgive Seto; or maybe he was just a little too buzzed to speak his truth the way he wanted to. As much as he wanted to refute and give Seto a piece of his mind, something within Joey made him feel drawn to him in a different way. This wasn’t the Seto Kaiba of their childhood, this was a man who felt some semblance of regret and pain, someone who had grown. </p><p>Joey smiled. “You said you’re sorry.” </p><p>“I am.” </p><p>“After all these years, I never would have imagined this. Us sitting at a bar, drinking and treating each other as equals.”</p><p>Seto shook his head, closing his eyes and taking a sip of his water. “It’s unbelievable. Being friends with Duke was easy. When we started working as business partners, we’d get together and talk. He was there when Mokuba got sick, so he saw me grow up pretty quick. I saw him grow up too I guess, getting married and all.” He sighed. “But I don’t know anything about you. I don’t really make friends.” </p><p>“Do you want to be friends?” Joey asked, leaning forward slightly. </p><p>“I’m not sure. I want to get to know you.” </p><p>Joey grinned, pulling himself closer and putting a hand on Seto’s arm tentatively. “If you let me in, I’ll let you.”</p><p>Seto relaxed his shoulders, leaning his arm on the bar. “Do you want to get out of here? We could go to your place and talk where it’s not so...public.” </p><p>Joey sighed, sitting up straight and putting his back against the bar. He was too drunk for this.</p><p>“Yugi’s crashing at my place tonight. No offense, but I don’t think he’d take kindly to me walking into my house drunk with you.”</p><p>Seto grimaced, putting his head in his hand. “We could go back to my place, I guess. Mokuba’s most definitely still up, but he knows about you,” he said, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. “But I don’t know. I don’t generally bring people over. Not even Duke, really.” </p><p>“Duke,” Joey gasped, looking around the hall. “Where is Duke? I haven’t seen him all night. Shit, I think I was supposed to drive home tonight too.”</p><p>Seto turned, scanning the groups of people. “I haven’t even seen him tonight. He must be doing well out there if he hasn’t stopped at the bar once.” He hummed to himself, standing up from the bar. “Text him we’re leaving. He valeted the car?” </p><p>Joey’s eyes widened, not having actually considered going home with Seto. “Uh, yeah he did. Wait, we’re actually going back to your place?”</p><p>“Do you want to?” </p><p>His head was buzzing, Joey’s mind foggy with doubt. He didn’t. He wanted to remain at this party, somewhere familiar yet fluctuant. It was safe here, Seto’s moves clear to read and understand. To go to Seto’s was to enter a world of uncertainty, something Joey wasn’t sure he was going to be able to navigate. </p><p>But Joey did want to keep talking, keep figuring things out. They hadn’t made much ground here, but he could tell things were moving in the right direction and he wanted to continue breaking Seto down. If he was lucky, it could go really well: and if he didn’t act quick, it could all fall apart. </p><p>“Yeah, I do,” Joey said, checking his phone to see that he had texts from Yugi. “If that’s okay.” </p><p>Seto nodded. “Let Duke know I’ll have them hold his car overnight if he wants to drink and I’ll have a driver take him home.”</p><p>“Sure,” Joey replied, looking down at his phone and reading through Yugi’s texts. It wasn’t anything serious, just updates on Jaden going to bed and a bad movie Yugi was trudging through. He followed Seto out of the banquet hall, trying to formulate something coherent to his best friend that wouldn’t be too alarming. </p><p>
  <em> Might be out later than expected, you ok with staying over? You can have the bed just leave me a pillow on the couch. </em>
</p><p>Joey sent Duke a quick text afterwards, scanning the room as they walked out one last time to see if he could spot his brother-in-law. No luck. </p><p>Getting into the elevator and entering deafening silence made the ringing in Joey’s ears all the louder, his head still hazy. He felt his phone vibrate, pulling it out and expecting a response from Duke only to be greeted by Yugi texting him back.</p><p>
  <em> wya? text me when you’re on your way home. </em>
</p><p>Joey put his phone away, not texting him back and walking out of the elevator into the night’s uncertainties.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this is a long one! took me a while to plan this one out, but i had a lot of fun writing it! i just had to add another gx character to cameo (gx is literally my fav series haha) and i thought crowler would be a great fit. hopefully it's not too confusing if you haven't seen it! i promise there won't be too many new minor characters, but i wanted to give joey someone to talk to that was new.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The ride to his house was quiet. Seto had a driver take them, choosing to sit in the back next to Joey in silence. They both looked through their phones, Joey talking on the phone idly to Duke about where they were going. He could hear Duke laughing on the other end, however their conversation wasn’t anything too phenomenal: mostly Duke talking about business and Joey giving one or two word responses in return. He could tell Joey was a bit drunk, his words slurring a bit when he formulated his responses. </p><p>Seto hadn’t drank much, but he was feeling the effects the closer they got to his house. He felt like he wasn’t real, his body heavy in his seat. His driver was generally silent, only chiming back to Seto to ask who he thought would win the tournament and who he was rooting for this year. All his drivers were kind, but they knew he wasn’t much of a conversationalist and respected it. He was more concerned about getting home than idle chatter, keeping his responses brief but polite.</p><p>As they pulled up to his driveway, he looked up to see that Mokuba was in fact awake, a single lamp illuminating his room on the top floor. His brother probably wouldn’t come down, but he was preparing himself for if he did. Seto could only hope he’d be respectful.</p><p>Stepping out into the cold, he walked around the other side of the car to meet Joey and wished his driver a good night. Walking up his driveway into his home, he tapped a card to a screen and entered a passcode before opening the door. Letting Joey through, he closed the door behind him quietly and turned the lights on a dim setting and flipped the fireplace on.</p><p>“It’s smaller than I expected,” Joey said, standing at the entrance and gazing around the front room. </p><p>Seto nodded, walking over to the bar connected to his kitchen and pulling out two glasses. “It’s just me and Mokuba, so I didn’t want to get something too big. The stairs are already kind of a pain for him, but it works for now. Our old place had 4 floors and was more trouble than it was worth,” he explained, pouring himself a premade Long Island and pivoting towards Joey. “Do you want a drink?”</p><p>Joey walked around the living room, examining a photo on a metal shelf. He looked up and smiled, coming to stand at the bar. “Yeah, why not? I’ll just drink whatever you’re having.” </p><p>Seto poured Joey a glass and picked it up, motioning towards the large, white sectional couch in the living room. “Let’s sit on the couch, I want to sit comfortably. I’ve been standing all day.” </p><p>They settled on the couch, Seto leaning his back against the cushions and drinking his Long Island. He wasn’t the biggest fan of sweeter drinks, but he wanted to mix it up a little. Gin was a little too overpowering right now and he wanted to try and relax: or at least appear relaxed.</p><p>“So,” Joey started, sitting with the drink in his hand and his elbows on his knees. “Can I ask you something?” </p><p>Seto nodded, closing his eyes. “Go ahead.”</p><p>“Did you pull back at work because of Mokuba?” Joey asked, resting back. They weren’t sitting very close, but the proximity didn’t help as Seto felt Joey’s gaze bore into him from across their distance. </p><p>“I did,” Seto said, staring into his drink. “He was diagnosed with lupus when he was fifteen, but they discovered that he had lymphoma a year later. I was twenty when they initially diagnosed him, at the height of Duel Monsters and my success. They caught it fairly early, but recovery was a huge blow on his immune system,” he explained, craning his neck around to gaze up the stairs for any sign of his brother. “Having even a common cold is really hard on him, so he doesn’t go out much. Not that he really minds, I guess. He has a lot of friends online.” </p><p>Joey frowned, his eyes sympathetic. “So you stepped down to take care of him?” </p><p>Seto paused, smiling faintly. “Yeah, I did. I lessened my workload for a year and it showed me how much work affected me. Being away taught me that winning tournaments and being on top was becoming selfish and useless the older I got. It all seemed so menial when all I did was spend empty mornings in hospitals, watching my only family suffer. There was no point anymore.” </p><p>Joey smiled then, his eyes soft. “I always wondered why you had walked away from it all. I thought maybe <em> you </em>had gotten sick or something, but never anything like that,” he said, resting his cheek on his hand. “I can empathize a lot. Serenity being in the hospital was so scary, I couldn’t think about anything else but winning that prize money to help her when we were competing at Duelist Kingdom.” </p><p>Seto laughed meekly, shaking his head. “If you think about it, we were all there for family. You, Yugi and I.” He cringed. “Although, if I could go back, I would have done it differently.” </p><p>Chuckling, Joey shifted his body and turned his head to Seto. “We really messed that one up. I mean, gods, that was so long ago. Did you ever have to sleep outside?” Joey asked, groaning. “I still don’t like to go camping. Why would I want to sleep on the hard ground surrounded by bugs when I could literally spend my time doing literally <em> anything </em>else? It’s insane.” </p><p>Seto smiled, taking another sip of his drink and crossing his legs. “I didn’t have to sleep outside, no. But I don’t like to camp either. I don’t get out much, but when I do I prefer the indoors.” he finished his drink, the alcohol making him feel loose. He liked when he was drunk, with time feeling fake and his body flimsy. It was nice to feel no inhibition when he spent so many hours of his days putting up his walls again and again. “Duke used to talk about bonfire parties, but by the time we were friends, his wild partying days were out of his system.”</p><p>Joey let out a hearty laugh, letting his head fall as he shook it from side to side. He lifted it up and grinned at Seto, his cheeks flushed. “I used to go to those! My girlfriend at the time--or I guess, my previous wife, hated them. We’d get super drunk and Tristan and Duke would argue about stupid shit for <em>hours</em>. Man, it’s been a long time since I’ve even thought about that. I kind of miss those parties, honestly. I haven’t seen Tristan in over a year...I haven’t seen a lot of my friends in ages, but we’d hang out almost every week back then.” </p><p>“Why not?” Seto asked, genuinely curious.</p><p>Joey sighed, pursing his lips. “Oh, lots of reasons. Tristan moved away because he’s working for some company that I don’t think is legitimate. Yugi and I obviously are still really close, but after Tea moved to America with Mai she hasn’t been great at keeping in contact. She danced for several years, but she and Mai got married and she spends a lot of time working with her on cruise ships down in... the Carribean? Or wherever they’re going that year, I guess. Did you know they got married? Probably not, huh?” </p><p>Seto shook his head, furrowing his brows. “I don’t know anything about your friends. Duke doesn’t talk about them much because he doesn’t want me to feel left out, I guess.” </p><p>“That makes sense. Man, can you believe we haven’t talked at <em> all </em>and your best friend is married to my sister?” </p><p>Joey’s words were muddled and his posture lazy, his head falling back against the couch. It was clear he was trashed; Seto had to admit, he was feeling it too. He was just better at holding his composure. </p><p>“Is that a bad thing?” He asked, not really sure where he was going with that question. </p><p>Joey’s mouth twisted up, his eyes closing softly. “No, I don’t think so. Duke is a good guy, albeit a little self-centered. He probably was just looking out for us, trying to keep the peace. But it was probably for the best: I don’t think I was ready to talk to you, especially back when Dungeon Dice took off and you guys started business, and especially not when my wife died. I’ve been a mess for years now. If I’m being honest, you’re stepping in at a really good time in my life.”</p><p>The way Joey spoke was charming, the words flowing out of his mouth easily. His voice was melodic, low and inviting. Seto felt like Joey was being truly raw, something he never thought he’d want to see. It was heartfelt, honest.</p><p>But it was also overwhelming. Seto felt too stiff, too cold. He wasn’t sure what to do, how to act in such a warm presence. He wanted to ask so many questions: when Joey got married, how Yugi was, where he worked, everything. But he held back, trying to flow without seeming too eager. </p><p>“I want to believe this is a good time for me, too,” he began, putting down his glass slowly on the coffee table in front of them. “As good a time as any, I guess. My life’s been fairly stagnant for years. I think i’ve been waiting, subconsciously.” He looked at Joey, smiling genuinely. “I was starting to think it’d be like this forever. Just living every day, doing the same things until I die.” </p><p>Joey opened his eyes and looked at Seto, smirking. “That’s so dark.” </p><p>“If you think that’s morbid, you should hear what I tell my therapist.”</p><p>Joey’s jaw dropped, scooching himself into a more upright position. “You have a therapist? No way.” </p><p>Seto rolled his eyes, picking his drink up again and taking a generous swig. “Is that really so surprising?” </p><p>“Kind of. I mean, Seto Kaiba talking to a shrink? That sounds like a scandalous news article.” </p><p>“Oh please,” Seto refuted, his face warm with embarrassment. “They stopped writing news articles about me years ago. I’m nothing to the public anymore.” </p><p>“I think that’s a good thing, though. Let’s you be yourself without people constantly picking apart your every move,” Joey murmured, moving closer to Seto. “I’d rather talk to the real you, like this. It’s nice.”  </p><p>Seto couldn’t tell if Joey was being genuine or if he was intoxicated just enough to empathize with someone like him. Joey was kind, compassionate. It wouldn’t surprise Seto if he was pitying him, talking to him now to make him feel better about his pathetic life. At the same time though, Seto didn’t really care about Joey’s true intentions. His concern felt nice, being cared for by someone who barely knew him was comforting.</p><p>“It is nice,” Seto replied, running his fingers through his short hair. He could tell that he was looking a little disheveled, his shirt untucked and slightly wrinkled from the car ride over. Joey was looking a little worse for wear as well, his collared shirt under his sweater unbuttoned slightly and his hair frizzy. Seto couldn’t help but stare at him, finding the other’s appearance charming. Joey was always rough around the edges, but something about his attitude always complimented that. Seto on the other hand took pride in immaculation, that feature of him currently stripped away, making him feel vulnerable. </p><p>Joey reached a hand out, pulling Seto’s wrist towards him and examining his watch. “Is this a Rolex?” </p><p>“Ulysse Nardon. Rolexes are overrated.” He pointed at the front clock, running his finger over the edge. “I only wear it for events, honestly. I find it kind of egregious anyway.” </p><p>Joey scoffed, leaning his head against the couch again. “It’s what?”</p><p>“Egregious. You know, kind of gross. I like my money, but I like personalized stuff better.” </p><p>“You’ve always had a good personal style,” Joey said, looking Kaiba up and down. “I mean, or you did. Well, you still do. It’s just not...you know. You aren’t wearing a trenchcoat with five-hundred buckles stapled to it.” </p><p>Seto frowned. “I toned it down after a while. When all you do is sit in meetings all day and answer phone calls, there really isn’t a point. It was iconic, but I’m not really going for that anymore.”</p><p>“That makes sense,” Joey replied, looking down at his own outfit. “I never dressed too flashy, and I still don’t. I have way more important things to do than dress up.” </p><p>“You look nice though,” Seto said, speaking without thinking. He really was getting sloppy, talking like this. “This kind of style suits you. You look mature. Quite honestly, you look like you’ve barely aged otherwise. Wheelers must have good genes.” </p><p>Joey grinned, his eyes crinkling. “You don’t look too bad yourself. You always were good-looking. I kind of resented that...I had such an evil picture of you in my mind, but you’d show up with your pretty boy face and it’d just piss me off more. If you’d been ugly, I probably wouldn’t have cared as much about what you thought of me.” </p><p>Seto felt his cheeks get hot, although he wasn’t too concerned if it showed. Drinking in general made his face flush, something he was sure he’d been dawning for the last hour.</p><p>“I’m getting another drink,” he announced, standing up shakily. Joey called to him to make him another as well, something Seto happily busied himself with. Maybe drinking more wasn’t the most practical thing to do, but he assessed mentally that another Long Island couldn’t possibly put him any farther in the hole than he already was. </p><p>Walking back to the couch, he peered up the stairs in search of Mokuba: the coast was clear. It was a blessing that Mokuba wore noise-canceling headphones, but Seto garnered that there still was a chance that his brother might come down, however he was willing to deal with that situation. Him and Joey were just talking, and he could probably play sober if he tried. Probably. </p><p>Joey was idling on the couch, looking through his phone and leaning his arms on the top part of the couch, his hands dangling off the edge as he texted. Seto sat next to him, a little closer this time. Placing Joey’s drink on the coffee table, he took a generous drink of his own before setting it down next to Joey’s. Joey looked up from his phone, leaning his head on the couch and placing his phone next to him on the cushions.</p><p>“It’s almost midnight,” Joey sighed, closing his eyes. “Time really flies.” </p><p>Seto turned towards Joey, leaning his elbow on the top cushions of the couch and shrugging. “Guess so. I don’t even remember what time it was when we left.” </p><p>“I still feel drunk though, and I don’t really want to go home yet. Yugi doesn’t know I went out drinking and I don’t want to jar him.” </p><p>“Did you tell him where you were going?” Seto asked, his voice now slurring. He was losing his composure, but considering the state Joey was in he wasn’t sure he was really paying attention to it. </p><p>Joey hummed, turning to face forward and flopping his head back. “No, I didn’t. I feel bad about it, but I’m not really ready to tell him about all this. I really don’t like to let him down.” </p><p>Seto looked towards the ground, trying to hide his frustration. “Shouldn’t you go home soon? If you’re supposed to be hanging out with Yugi right now.”</p><p>“Oh, we’re not hanging out. He’s just crashing for tonight, doing laundry. Nothing big. He doesn’t drink though, and I think me being drunk probably makes him uncomfortable. Besides, we’re still talking.”</p><p>Seto rubbed his eyes, seeing stars. He was getting a bit tired, but he couldn’t sleep when he was drunk. It was going to be easier to pass time talking then try to lay down now.</p><p>“That’s fair. I don’t really drink like this usually. Duke and I used to bar hop and drink like mad, but I think we’re too old for all that now,” Seto said, reminiscing. </p><p>Joey laughed feebly, closing his eyes again. “You should do it more. You’re fun like this.” </p><p>“What makes you say that?” Seto retorted, leaning forward. He pulled himself up, forcing his head to stay straight on his shoulders. He really was drunk now. If his brother came down, he had passed the point of no return: he was a mess.</p><p>Joey slid towards Seto, leaning his hand on the couch and slumping forward. He was dangerously close, his face only a couple inches from Seto’s chest. “You’re losing your cool guy attitude,” he said quietly, bringing his face close to Seto’s and putting a hand on his arm. “You smell good.” </p><p>Seto felt his heart pounding, unable to move. Joey had not only closed the distance between them, but was pushing himself straight into Seto’s personal bubble. Every inch of himself was telling him to back up, retreat; but his body was so heavy and his head so light, he felt he’d pass out if he tried. </p><p>Joey moved his hand up Seto’s arm and up his neck, breathing out of his mouth in slow, shallow breaths. Seto felt like he was going to explode, his entire being prickling. Joey was right, he was failing at the cool guy performance and cracking, Joey’s warm hand worming its way into his hair, deranging him further. He was completely unhinged, like putty in the other’s grasp.</p><p>Seconds felt like ages, Joey moving painfully slow as he pressed the side of his head against Seto’s cheek. His hair was soft, his breath on Seto’s neck making him feel immensely inebriated. It was intoxicating, Joey’s body so close to his. </p><p>After what felt like hours, Joey’s other hand pulled Seto into a kiss, his movements awkward but firm. Joey’s mouth was warm, his lips pressing hard against Seto’s and engulfing him. Seto did what he could to match Joey’s movements as he continued to kiss him, completely unable to pull himself away. Joey intertwined his fingers in Seto’s hair, holding him still as he continued to kiss through hot, heavy breaths. It was messy and erratic, but every time Joey pulled away to breathe Seto would lean in, his hands grasping at Joey’s cheeks carelessly. </p><p>It felt good, lighting up Seto’s body and making him completely flexible in Joey’s hands. Until it struck him like a bat to the head: he was drunkenly making out with someone he wanted to trust him, something he felt like he had betrayed by letting himself fall apart like this. It wasn’t right.</p><p>Seto pulled back then, putting a hand against Joey’s chest and catching his breath. </p><p>Joey kept his eyes closed, pulling back slowly and wiping his mouth with his hand, both of them sitting there in silence. </p><p>“Uh…” Joey croaked, covering his face with his hands. His hair was a mess as he shook his head slowly. “What are we doing?” </p><p>Seto turned away, too embarrassed to face him. </p><p>Joey stayed there, unmoving. “I’m sorry. I’m drunk.” </p><p>“Me too,” Seto replied, his voice barely audible. He paused, trying to gain composure. “Do you want to talk about it?” </p><p>Lifting his head slightly and uncovering his face, Joey kept his eyes closed and took a deep breath. “What is there to talk about?” </p><p>Seto swayed, steading himself and facing Joey. “I really wasn’t planning for this to happen.” </p><p>Joey opened his eyes, averting his gaze. “I wasn’t either.” </p><p>“We don’t have to talk about it right now.”</p><p>“Yeah, lets not. But maybe I should go.”</p><p>Seto nodded, searching for his phone before picking it up off the arm of the couch. “I can get you a driver. Or call you a cab, if you prefer.” </p><p>Joey put his hand up, shaking his head. “Cab.” </p><p>Seto texted a taxi service, staring at his phone blankly as Joey grabbed his phone and stumbled towards the door. He felt frozen, unable to look up. </p><p>“Seto?” Joey quipped, leaning his hand against the door to steady himself. </p><p>“The cab will be here soon. They’ll probably park at the gate up front. Just press the button on the left side and it’ll open.” </p><p>“Seto.” Joey repeated, calling his name intently. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?” </p><p>Lifting his head to face Joey, he could see from the look on the other’s face that he was austere. Seto forced himself to hold his gaze, dread enveloping him.</p><p>“Take your time. I’ll be here.” </p><p>Seto watched as Joey opened the door, closing it behind him quietly and leaving Seto in his dimly lit home, a sick feeling creeping through his guts. All the progress he’d worked so hard to build felt like it’d shattered around him, and he wasn’t sure if he was strong enough to pick up the pieces all over again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>kind of a short one, but with work I've been a bit busy. hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Every day felt like it would never end. A week had passed since the party, and Seto was managing himself as best he could. Work that was normally covered by his many employees had been finding its way to his desk, something that irritated him greatly but he knew he had no choice other than to deal with. Kaibacorp was far from short staffed, but Seto was particular in the people he promoted to take on tasks he once did alone. When one person took a vacation, it created a heavier workload for him; and of course, this week two of his trusted employees were off during one of the busiest events of the season. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto had spent the last few days in more meetings than he’d attended in months, managing various event difficulties and trying to problem-solve the backlash that Kaibacorp was facing after it was revealed that one of the tournament finalists had hacked his duel disk to rig his deck. His company had proclaimed that the disk’s built-in system was impenetrable, but there always seemed to be someone who had found a way to surpass it every once and awhile. It was easy to catch cheaters in preliminaries, but so far into the tournament, the scandal had blown up full force.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t looking good. Seto knew he would have to make an official statement, something he dreaded. Public speaking used to be one of his strong suits, but in recent years he’d pulled so far back from the spotlight that the idea of addressing a very disappointed public was nauseating. He didn’t want to be framed as pathetic and weak, and he knew if he didn’t execute it exactly to everyone’s standards that it wouldn’t end well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The scandal had completely flipped his carefully constructed routine, but wasn’t the worst of his problems. Seto was working until it was dark, coming home and ordering takeout, and staring at his phone trying to muster up the strength to call Joey. The initial sting of their encounter had faded at this point, but it still wouldn’t leave his mind. He would sit alone for hours, overthinking a response that would explain himself until he couldn’t stay awake any longer. Mokuba had been trying to probe him to open up, but Seto refused to let him in. If there is one thing he didn’t need right now, it was Mokuba getting involved into the first personal problem he was having in years. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto was feeling particularly mopey today, choosing to drive home after his meeting. He didn’t love driving, but there were times when being behind the wheel and absent-mindedly listening to the radio helped clear his mind. He avoided any sporting or gaming channels, opting for a broadcast of international news and political nonsense. The woman speaking had a very soft tone of voice, enunciating all her words perfectly. Seto played the sound of her voice over and over in his head, trying to replicate the smoothness in his own dialect internally. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he arrived home, Seto immediately removed his shoes and sat on the couch. Usually he would start prepping dinner before getting settled, but he had no plans to cook today as per usual. Mokuba had texted him earlier that he was feeling lethargic, saying that he’d text him if he needed anything. They’d done this sort of thing before, and despite every urge telling him to dote on his brother and check on him, he forced himself to send a text that he was home and see where it played from there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without Mokuba, it was easier to wallow. Seto wanted to figure this out himself, without his brother worrying. He didn’t want Duke to worry either, opting to not let him in on the gritty details of his night with Joey. Duke would probably understand, maybe even offer advice, but Seto didn’t want to hear it; he wanted to get the entire ordeal sorted out before anyone caught wind of it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto jumped at the feeling of his phone vibrating in his hands, Joey’s contact info illuminating the screen. He let the call ring a couple times before bringing the phone up to his ear, his hand gripping around it tightly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello?” Seto answered, his voice hoarse. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey. Are you free right now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto swallowed, sitting upright on his couch and rubbing the fingers of his free hand over his thigh.  “I am.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How are you?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve been better.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey chuckled, although it didn’t sound particularly malicious, more awkward. “I’m sorry... I, uh, heard about the tournament. I can’t imagine having to deal with that right now.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto laughed bitterly, closing his eyes. “It’s nothing. I’ve dealt with worse.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah. I know. Um, okay...I don’t really know how to start this,” Joey said, his tone shaky. “I want to talk about last weekend. But I don’t wanna be weird about it, you know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t think that’s possible,” Seto began, sighing. “I want to apologize.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? No, don’t apologize. If anyone should be saying sorry, it’s me. I should have been more serious about all this, kept myself in line. I’m sorry, should we be talking about this over the phone?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto put a hand over his left eye, his head feeling tight. He could imagine what Joey looked like at the other end of the phone: uncomfortable, fidgeting with his hair like he’d done so many times since they began hanging out. He knew it would probably be more reasonable to meet up, come together and discuss in person. It just wasn’t an option, however; Seto had been sitting in meetings all week, managing the tournament gossip and being given bad news over and over. He was sick of looking at people who pitied and doubted him, the thought of seeing the same look in Joey’s eyes being something he wasn’t sure he could stomach.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I want to talk about this now. I was going to reach out earlier,” Seto lied, “but with this whole publicity mess I’ve had no time for my personal life.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I understand,” Joey responded, sighing. “In all honesty Seto, I’ve been trying to think of what to say, but I can’t come up with anything good.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe there isn’t anything to say, then,” Seto replied, pinching his eyes together. His body felt like it was on fire, as if he was being burned alive. He hadn’t come up with much to say over the short time since last weekend, running the same detailed responses he’d constructed over and over in his head before trashing them all. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t want to mess this up,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>can we just forget it?</span>
  </em>
  <span> It wasn’t like him to back down from his actions, to be coy. Time had changed how he made decisions, and he wanted to stand by them as he’d grown. He felt like he was apologizing for his behaviors of the past all over again, something he didn’t want to do for the present.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you regret it?” Joey asked suddenly, his voice lowered yet firm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto didn’t hesitate: “I don’t.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good to see you’re taking my advice.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I don’t. Although, if I’m being honest, if I could go back, I would have probably taken you to dinner first or something beforehand.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto frowned. “Are you inviting me to dinner?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even though they weren’t face to face, Seto could only imagine the grin Joey was sporting, the smile sneaking in his glimmering inflection. “I’m not necessarily inviting you to dinner, but I do want to see you. We should talk more in person.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only if I get to pick the place.” Seto smiled, forcing the nervous energy in his body to dissipate by running a hand through his hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey chuckled, Seto imagining him rolling his eyes. “Oh, come on! I can’t invite you to dinner if </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> pick where we go. That’s not how it works.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You had your chance,” Seto said, leaning back on the couch and calming the tension in his shoulders. “Don’t think I forgot about the famous Wheeler meatloaf.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, fine. If you deciding where we go to eat is what’s gonna get you to go out with me, I’ll fold.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seto smiled, moving his hand from his hair to fidget a string that had come undone on the couch. He had let Joey have power, a hold over him in many of their encounters. It felt unnatural to let someone else dominate what he did, where he went. He had anticipated inviting Joey to the party would help him have control on their relationship, but he had learned that having that power wasn’t necessary when it came to their engagements, especially after last weekend. Years ago it would have killed him to let Joey beat him, make him bend, but it was becoming comforting. Joey didn’t view him as an opponent, but as an equal. It was different. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he got to pick where they went to dinner, so he wasn’t ready to back down for good just yet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll text you later about where we’ll go. Although, with work it might be a while. Don’t take it personally.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll see you then, Seto,” Joey replied, hanging up after they’d said their goodbyes. Seto put his phone on his lap, exhaling. Talking to Joey had been harder than any meeting he’d sat through for the past week, but for once he felt relief rather than overwhelming pressure. He couldn’t tell if he’d done everything right, but maybe when it came to Joey he didn’t have to be perfect.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Joey knew that Seto would pick somewhere nice to eat, somewhere that he couldn’t reasonably afford. Even if Seto claimed he was cutting down his spending, anywhere that he’d choose to dine out would always be out of Joey’s budget, something on the edge of the higher class: but Joey didn’t think that he would pick Chessia. He’d heard about it in magazines and on TV, referenced as one of the best places to eat in Domino City. It supposedly took months to get on the waitlist, but maybe when you’re Seto Kaiba, you don’t need a reservation.</p><p>Leafing through his closet with Jaden carefully slung against his shoulder, Joey grumbled and placed his knuckle on his chin. He was starting to regret not owning anything flashy or nice, although to be fair: he’d never needed to dress up, not to this degree. He clutched Jaden to his chest, sitting on his bed and unlocking his phone, the sunlight warming his face through the windows. He called Duke, hoping that his brother-in-law wouldn’t be too busy so early in the morning.</p><p>Duke’s voice chimed melodically on the other line. “Joey! What’s up?”</p><p>“Do you know what I should wear to dinner at Chessia?”</p><p>“Is this some kind of like, trick question? Why do you need to know what to hypothetically wear to Chessia?”</p><p>Joey sighed, leaning his head against the headboard of the bed. “I’m not hypothetically going to Chessia. Did Seto not tell you we were getting dinner?”</p><p>Duke hummed, the sound of his GPS quietly blipping in the background. “No, he didn’t,” he said, pausing to turn down his music. “To be real Joey, I’ve barely talked to Seto all week because of the drama with that finalist who hacked his disk. Every time I’ve called I’ve gotten his voicemail, and when I called the house the other day Mokuba picked up,” he chuckled. “I love that kid. We just talked shit for a couple minutes, you kinda remember how he is, right? Anyway...Sorry, off topic.”</p><p>Joey rolled his eyes. “Well, we’re going to Chessia around six. I’m not really keen on the idea of buying something special just for dinner, but I don’t have anything nice to wear. I’m stuck between this ugly dark green suit set I’ve had since high school or a literal tuxedo that’s too short in the arms. The options are slim.”</p><p>“You can borrow something from me,” Duke replied, his words muffled. <em>Is he eating and driving? </em> “I have two suitjackets that I just got dry cleaned: they’re both a little ill-fitting, but you know I have trouble parting with designer clothes. You’re a bit shorter than me, so one of them would probably fit you pretty well, actually. Do you own dark slacks?”</p><p>“I do,” Joey said, running his fingers through Jaden’s hair, warm from the sun as he reached his hands up to grab at his father’s shirt. “Will you meet me at noon? I can drive wherever.”</p><p>“Don’t even sweat it, I’ll drop them off. I’ll be over in an hour or two.”</p><p>Saying their goodbyes, Joey hung up and took Jaden to the kitchen, preparing his son’s breakfast while Jaden sat in his high chair and sang along to the sound of some old disco playing on the radio. Cutting Jaden's turkey sausage and pancakes for him, Joey placed the plate in front of Jaden and exhaled dramatically as he slumped into his chair.</p><p>“I’m picking the place next time, Jaidy. We’re going to Applebees.”</p><p>Jaden shoved a forkful of sausage clumsily into his mouth, his eyes wide. “Abblebee.”</p><p>Joey nodded, letting his head fall into his hands as he closed his eyes tiredly. “Yeah, Abblebee.”</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Chessia was in the rich side of town, surrounded by high-end boutiques and various high-class hotels and businesses. Joey shifted in his seat at the stoplight, his car’s loud whirring and beaten appearance making him feel scrutinized. The clothes Duke borrowed him fit well, although the jacket was a bit tight around his chest. It was most assuredly Duke’s style, the gold designer lapel pin of a duel card he’d insisted Joey wear a bit overkill for his taste. He kind of liked it, though; the warm-toned cream button-up made him feel nostalgic, like he maybe appeared a little trendier, younger.</p><p>Pulling towards the valet booth, Joey stuck his head out of the car and was greeted politely as he explained his reservation with Seto. The worker nodded, smiling wide as he explained that they’d been expecting him and that the car was going to be put on Seto’s bill, so they didn’t need his information. Getting out of his car and waiting at the entrance as he watched the valet employee drive the Stratus in back, he meddled with his long hair and entered the restaurant, going through an elevator to get to the highest floor.</p><p>The lighting in Chessia was dim, although the space was softly illuminated by fireplaces on each side. The style of decoration was clearly high class, the delicate details that trailed along domed ceilings was very old-style, however it looked as if it had been modernized with its large, open spaces with little clutter and large windows that overshot the view of the city. A host walked Joey over to their table next to the large windows and a fireplace, seating Joey and letting him know he’d return to take orders once Seto arrived.</p><p>Joey had been distracted by the view of the city from out the window, not hearing Seto approach the table. He was smiling, nodding his head curtly before taking a seat across from Joey. Seto looked professional, a matching white suit set and tie with a lighter blue collared shirt that made his eyes stand out. It was the first time Joey had seen him wear something so formal, although the stark color of his suit wasn’t helping the deep-set bags under his eyes. It was charming, albeit a little concerning.</p><p>“You look very nice,” Seto began, peering at Joey’s pin. “Is that yours?”</p><p>Joey sighed, leaning forward and glancing to the side. “Is it really that obvious?”</p><p>Seto grinned genuinely, pulling at the sleeve of his jacket and nodding. “Duke loves pins like that, jewelry. It looks very prim on you, though. But not bad.”</p><p>Their waiter circled back to their table, presenting a pitcher of water and their menus for the evening. Joey nodded politely as the man rattled off a long list of expensive wines, one of which Seto picked out and requested a bottle of, some sort of expensive cabernet. Joey didn’t much care for wine, but to eat at Chessia and not drink wine was probably a bit prudish.</p><p>Joey’s eyes glazed over as he tried to read the menu, the overly detailed descriptions of the dishes making him dizzy. He deliberately avoided looking at the prices, hoping that by the grace of the gods he wouldn’t have to spend too much of his rent on a plate of pasta.</p><p>“Feel free to order whatever you want,” Seto began. “I made you come to this place, so I’ll be paying. It’s only fair.”</p><p>Swallowing the spit that had been collecting in his mouth, Joey smiled. “As long as that’s okay with you.”</p><p>Seto smiled back, averting his gaze. “Of course.”</p><p>They sat in silence for a while, peering over their menus and taking sips of water. Seto checked something on his phone at some point, letting out an annoyed <em>hmph</em> as he put it back in his pocket. Joey felt like he was at an interview, something detached. Seto’s formal appearance suited him well, but it made him feel as if they were leagues apart. Even if Seto had changed and lost public favor, he was still Seto Kaiba in practice: a CEO with money and comfort, someone who could get reservations anyplace on short notice, a person of high interest and prestige, even if diminished.</p><p>The waiter made his rounds and presented them with their wine, pouring them each a glass and taking their orders. Seto ordered an alfredo dish, the waiter detailing him on how it would be prepared in the traditional style of old Rome. Joey looked over his menu quickly once more before deciding on filet mignon. The waiter nodded excitedly at his choice, grinning wide as he walked away to put in their order.</p><p>“I haven’t had filet mignon in ages,” Seto said, taking a sip of his wine and nodding approvingly. “To be quite honest, I don’t dine out very much anymore. Duke and I will get drinks, but restaurants are sometimes a little suffocating for me.”</p><p>Joey took a sip of his wine, mulling over the flavors. All wine tasted the same to him.</p><p>“I like to go out a decent amount. Serenity and I like to get breakfast at a place by her house, and Yugi and I go to arcade bars whenever we both can. Although, we don’t really have time like we used to.”</p><p>“Is he still working at that game shop?” Seto asked, taking another sip of his wine and checking his watch.</p><p>Joey nodded, thumbing at the napkin on his lap. “Yeah. Grandpa is far too old to run it himself, so Yugi basically owns it at this point. It’s not super busy, but gaming is still a fairly popular market from what I can gather.”</p><p>“Oh, very popular. Duel Monsters might not be as big as it used to be, but Dungeon Dice and other companies that have taken to online MMO systems make huge revenue. Tying their physical merchandise to their online play has always been a pretty stable business plan. I wasn’t surprised when Duke came to me asking if Pegasus or I were going to push for Duel Monsters to go online and maybe work together, but nonetheless it’s done him well that we sat out. Pegasus was firm on wanting it to stay tabletop, and I chose to respect it. Me and Duke still work in Dungeon Dice’s TCG scene, but it’s never going to move past that.”</p><p>Taking another sip of his wine, Joey scanned the restaurant and leaned back in his chair. “Sitting out didn’t do you too bad either. I mean, Duel Monsters will always have that flair of being able to make virtual giant monsters fights feel like they’re really happening before your eyes.” He rolled his shoulders and sighed. “There are days where I miss it, badly. The adrenaline of a duel, putting everything on the line,” he said, chuckling and shaking his head. “It’s too late to go back now, though.”</p><p>“Why do you say that?” Seto questioned, leaning an elbow on the table. Despite his appearance, Seto clearly wasn’t taking their setting as seriously as Joey. He probably was sick of places like this, numb to their gaudiness.</p><p>Joey had been holding back on telling Seto about Jaden, but he knew that if it were a good time as any, now would be it. If he wanted to continue seeing Seto, being with him as friends or whatever they were, he was going to have to tell him. He knew it wasn’t dangerous, but it didn’t make it any less scary.</p><p>“There’s something I need to tell you, but I’m worried you’re going to be upset,” Joey said, pursing his lips. “I don’t want to mess this up.”</p><p>Seto smiled then, although Joey couldn’t tell how to read it.</p><p>“You can’t mess this up,” Seto replied, sitting up straight. “I’m not going to be upset. Why do you think I’d be upset?” he asked, his brow furrowing.</p><p>Joey sighed. “I don’t know how to say this.”</p><p>“You can tell me.”</p><p>“I think I care about you more than I planned to. I think about you, I worry about what my friends will say about you. I really just want to do this right.”</p><p>Seto averted his gaze, breathing slowly before closing his eyes. He turned his head towards Joey, his expression serious.</p><p>“I’ve been thinking about the night you came to my house. I was so guilty, not because of what we did, but because I felt like I should have done better. I wasn’t sure how I felt before then, but afterwards it’s been fairly obvious.”</p><p>It was touching to hear Seto share his feelings, but Joey knew if he didn’t loop the conversation back to being about Jaden he might lose his chance. He wanted to sit here and talk through sweet words, but it would be for nothing if he didn’t come clean.</p><p>“I have to know, Seto. How serious are you about this? About us, I guess.”</p><p>Seto breathed through his nose quickly and took another sip of his wine, exhaling as he placed the glass down. “Very. I’ve thought hard about this, about you.”</p><p>“Okay,” Joey began, taking a deep breath. “Dueling was my passion and I had planned to continue playing professionally and advancing my career, but things didn’t necessarily work out that way. My late wife became pregnant and she gave birth to our son, Jaden.” He wrung his hands on the napkin in his lap, taking another deep breath and looking to the table. “It’s hard to talk about, but she didn’t make it past childbirth. She had a really bad infection, and her immune system couldn’t fight it.” He looked Seto in the eyes, trying to hold his composure. “I’ve been raising Jaden alone since, and it’s completely changed my life. Being his father has been everything I needed, and I'm happy.”</p><p>Seto seemed unsure of how to respond at first, nodding slowly and holding eye contact. He stayed silent for a few more moments before opening his mouth to speak.</p><p>“That suits you. You always were looking after your friends and your sister. You’re naturally protective. How old is he?”</p><p>“He’s almost three. He’s learning things quickly, and he’s really sweet, friendly.”</p><p>Seto’s eyes softened, the exhaustion in his face making him look warm and human. Joey didn’t exactly know how much Seto interacted with kids, or what his opinion was on them. He knew he cared about Mokuba and had to grow up quickly with his brother, but it wasn’t clear if he had much experience with young children.</p><p>“Can I meet him?” Seto asked, his voice quiet.</p><p>Joey choked on his water, swallowing slowly to avoid coughing. “Wait, really?”</p><p>“Yes. I hope that isn’t too forward.”</p><p>Joey shook his head and held his hand up as he took another drink of his water. “Not at all. I mean, I’d love for you to come over and see him. Are you sure about this?”</p><p>Seto nodded, opening his mouth to speak before realizing that their waiter had come with their food. He placed their dishes in front of them, bowing curtly before walking away quickly.</p><p>“Ah, well. Before we eat, can I just say one more thing?”</p><p>Joey smiled, rearranging his silverware and sitting back. “Go ahead.”</p><p>“I don’t really know how to say what I want to say properly,” he began, “I find you...attractive. You have completely changed how I’ve viewed you, and I’ve really enjoyed our time spent together.” He brushed one of his hands through his hair, breathing through his mouth. “Sorry, I’m not used to this.”</p><p>Joey tried to keep his face neutral, thinking of how to respond without embarrassing Seto. The him of ten years ago would have loved this, Seto confessing some deep, buried feelings that he could have used to exploit him with. Of course, Joey didn’t feel like that at all now; he felt similarly to the other, locked in some sort of limbo of attraction and hesitation.</p><p>“Are you saying you have a crush?” Joey asked, grinning. Okay, maybe he was going to embarrass him a little bit. It was kind of cute, Seto confessing timidly.</p><p>“I don’t get crushes.”</p><p>“So you find me attractive, that’s it?”</p><p>Seto looked Joey in the eyes and frowned. “That’s not it, it’s just hard to talk to you about this. You’re the first person I’ve really felt something for so seriously.”</p><p>Joey took a moment to take a bite of his filet mignon to stall, closing his eyes and smiling. “This is really good.”</p><p>“I’m glad you like it.”</p><p>“I like more than the filet mignon, Seto.”</p><p>Seto sighed, another one of those small <em>hmph</em>’s escaping his lips. He took a small bite of his pasta, dabbing his mouth with a napkin held between his delicate hands and shaking his head.</p><p>“Do you now?”</p><p>Joey smiled, smushing his parsley mashed potatoes with a spoon and putting a small bite into his mouth. “I do, really.” He took another bite, forcing himself to refrain from inhaling the entire thing.</p><p>“Can I ask you something?” Seto asked, as he poured himself another cup of wine, the bottle clinking against the table clumsily.</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“Are you gay?”</p><p>Drinking his water, Joey gently put down his glass and placed his hands in his lap and smiled. “I’m bisexual. I kind of knew from a young age, but don’t really talk about it. Gender doesn’t concern me.” He proceeded to then take a bite of the steak, swallowing and nodding. “Is that okay?”</p><p>Seto nodded, fiddling with the watch on his wrist as he looked at Joey with concern. “Not at all. I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”</p><p>“Are you?” Joey asked, finishing his potatoes. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable either, so you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.”</p><p>Looking away, Seto shifted in his seat and turned back to Joey. “I don’t want to label myself, I guess. I don’t generally experience romantic feelings, so this has been kind of a shock to me. I’m okay with that, though. I know how I feel.”</p><p>Joey smirked, resting his head on his hand carelessly. “Have you ever been in a relationship?”</p><p>“I have not.”</p><p>“Would you ever want to be?”</p><p>Seto paused. “Yes. It’s just difficult for me to conceive. I don’t know if I’d do well.”</p><p>“You don’t have to know,” Joey explained, finishing his single glass of wine. “It’s about figuring things out. I want to do that with you, see where this goes.”</p><p>“What are you saying?”</p><p>“I’m not saying we have to be a thing, but I want to keep seeing you, like this.”</p><p>Seto’s face had a slight flush to it, although Joey tried to tell himself it was the wine. He was so fragile here, soft. He looked professional, someone to be treated with respect, with esteem from an external view; but here he was young, a man who couldn’t keep his hands still in Joey’s presence.</p><p>“Are you really okay with me meeting your son?”</p><p>“I’d love for you to, really.” Joey smiled, his eyes crinkling as he looked at Seto. “I’m just heading back to my place after this, if you want to tag along. Serenity’s watching Jaden tonight, so you could just pop in and say hi to them if you want.”</p><p>Seto laughed. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”</p><p>“So you’ll come?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’ll come.”</p><p>Finishing their dinner, Seto quickly paid and they took the elevator down to the valet. Joey texted Serenity that they were coming over, detailing that Seto would “only be there for a couple minutes” and “to please be nice”. He wasn’t scared of his sister, he knew she’d be curt about this, that she’d feel he was risking too much. It wasn’t too much, though; he protected his friends and family, and he wasn’t the risk taker he used to be.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this took longer than expected but here it is! we're getting somewhere here i swear haha</p><p>p.s. Chessia is a pun. if you know of what i love you</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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